One Piece: Tale of the Sniper
by Dragon's-Maidens
Summary: With her father dead and her best friend gone, Niri beings her journey as a Marine, to honor her father. Too bad fate has other plans for her.
1. Chapter 1

Niri's Tale

Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece.

A/N: Taking a break from YGO, only for a while though. I have decided to write the story of Niri while she was in the Marine. After all, she wasn't a pirate all of her life. Anyways, I don't own many of the characters that are written in here, just Niri, wait, I own Baron too! Life is good sometimes.

Chapter One

Sighing, Niri pulled the trigger of her father's gun, shooting a can that lay on a fence, five yards away from her current position. Fourteen years old, fatherless, Axe-less, she sighed again before sitting down, watching as the can fell off the fence and land in the grass with a soft hush. Removing the bullets from the revolving chamber, she counted all of the unused bullets she had left and how much she could make by turning in the shells. _Daddy, Axe, tomorrow, I'm joining the Marine Academy._ Chewing on her lower lip, she lay down in the grass and looked up at the sky. "I wonder if I'll ever come home again." A bird shrieked loudly in the distance before a loud pecking sound was heard. It was probably attacking the tree house her father and his friend "Uncle" Dart made. The tree house was the only thing that remained in her childhood. Axe, her best friend, had left to start his journey just a few days ago, leaving Niri feeling empty. Aron Island just wasn't the same anymore.

Standing up, she walked to the abandoned tree house and looked around, smiling at all of the messed up marks in the wood. Every time Axe ticked her off, she'd hit him so he'd hit his face into a wall, every time he decided to get even, there were her nail marks as she remembers digging into the wood after being tickled to death by Axe. Looking into her secret place, something she knew he would never find, her fingers ran over the carved heart. "Axe."

The faint sounds of her "aunt" shouting for her made her head turn before she walked home, dragging her feet as she did. Stopping, Niri tucked her hair behind her ear as the wind blew, playing in her long black hair and swirled itself around her long baby pink skirt. The white shirt she wore hugged her body close, not letting the breeze get to her skin. Looking up, she could see the faint traces of white smoke coming from the tavern Anny was making lunch for her customers. Walking through the town wasn't any difficult, since most of the people who had lived on the island were Marine, but she still got stopped and was given condolences about her father's death.

Finally reaching the tavern, Niri walked up to the bar and sat right in front of Anny as she cleaned a glass. "Anny," she started but shook her head and smiled. "How's business?"

Anny smiled at the girl, setting down the glass and tossing the towel on her shoulder. "Well, let's see, Baron came in at his usual time for the usual, then there was an argument between the fishermen and then sometime after that Dart came in to get his lunch. You just missed him." Giving the girl a glass of apple juice, Niri's favorite, she noticed the tear stains on the girl's shirt. "Honey, what's the matter?"

Niri looked up and shook her head, drinking some of her juice. "You know, Anny, you could give me grog every once in a while." The tavern owner just laughed and patted her arm before serving another customer, a paying one. Finishing her juice, Niri waved to her "aunt" and walked to the docks, hoping to find Dart. It wasn't like she could go home. No doubt her mother would be gone again, probably in the hospital helping out the staff.

"Well, well, if it isn't short stuff." Niri glared at the slightly tanned man as she neared the docks, enjoying the smell of the salty ocean. "What brings you down here?"

"I need to talk, Dart." Her "uncle" nodded as he watched her set her father's pistol on his crate. It was his crate because nothing was in it, it never moved and it was even labeled "DART'S CRATE!"

Sitting on a post, she waited patiently as her "uncle" tied his little boat to the dock, tossing what fish he did catch to a man who then tossed it to another who tossed the fish into a crate filled with other fish. Watching the fish fly by, she tried to focus in on every detail that the once swimming beings had. No doubt she got her vision from her father but she wanted to enhance it, in case she was given a rifle that didn't have a scope on it. Lost in her own little world, she failed to notice her "uncle" walking up behind her until he grabbed her sides, making her squeal loudly and jump, effectively falling into the water.

Surfacing, she glared at the laughing man before floating on her back and using her legs to splash him. "That's not funny!" The other sailors roared with laughter as they saw the wet girl climb back up the dock and cross her arms over her chest, shivering as the breeze blew. "Give me your jacket, Dart! I'm cold!"

"Yeah, yeah." Taking off his heavy brown jacket, Dart draped it over his "niece" before rubbing her back. "All better now, short stuff?" She stepped on his toes and glared again, making him wince in pain. "I take it as a yes."

"I'm all wet because of you!" Wringing out her hair, Niri huffed. "Just like Axe!"

"AH! I get it now, you're lonely," Dart said, pointing a finger to Niri. She just blushed slightly and looked away. "I knew it. Listen, Niri, Axe is going to be fine, I'm sure he misses you too, where ever he is now. Besides, even though this may be the first time you two have been separated, don't think you're still not together in here," he said pointing to her heart. Hugging her close, Dart pet her head before looking down. "Feel better?"

"Tons. Thanks, Dart." Niri smiled up at him as he took a break. Fishing it hard work!

Dart patted her back as he picked up his friend's gun, holding it carefully as he led her from the dock. "Come on, Anny might have a set of dry clothes for you to wear." He laughed at the glare he received and dodged the weak punch she threw at him.

-.-.-

Anny looked at the soaking wet girl and then at her husband before shaking her head. "I'm married to a child." Niri grinned widely as Dart lowered his head in mock shame. "I can't believe I agreed to marry you!" By that time, Niri's giggles were no longer contained. "I mean, you play in trees, you come home smelly and dirty and you shove Niri in the ocean. You're a child!" Anny exclaimed, smiling as she did so.

Dart winked at Niri before hugging his wife, picking her up and swinging her around. "Yeah, but you love me."

A ring from the door told of someone entering. Turning around, Niri smiled at her mother. Her mother, a very beautiful woman with olive skin, bright green eyes and a head full of thick blonde hair, stood in the doorway with her hands on her hips, looking at her wet daughter. "Niri, why are you wet?"

Anny backed away from Dart when she was finally set down and pointed at him. "It was all him. He shoved her into the ocean."

"She was off in la-la land," Dart said, trying to defend himself. Niri's mother sighed and shook her head. "Besides, she wanted to talk to me."

"Yeah, but not about tickling me until I fall in the Blue!" Biting her lower lip, she looked over at her mother. "Mom, I want to join the Marine." Her mother, of course, sat down in the nearest seat, hard. "I know daddy was in it and he was one hell-" Anny cleared her throat. "Sorry, heck of a captain and besides, I promised Axe that I'd see him again."

"No. I lost my husband; I'm not losing my daughter as well. Niri, I forbid you to go!" her mother shouted, making the tavern go quiet. "You are not to even think that again!"

"That's not fair!"

Dart grabbed a hold of her shoulder and shook his head. "Your mother is right, Niri, the Marine is a dangerous place to be. Your father lost his life in the Marine."

"My father fought hard and proudly against pirates and he knew the consequences of his actions. I want to fight against pirates too, I want to fill in where my father left off and I'll be damned if I can't!" Niri said, moving away from Dart. "I will join! Just you wait and see!" Throwing down his jacket, Niri rushed out of the tavern, running to where ever was away from them for the moment.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece.

A/N: Thank you for the reviews.

Baron had just finished some paper work, laughing at some of the jokes he had heard amongst the ranks before he leaned back in his chair, a file in one hand. "Zolaro, you raised a weird kid."

_FLASHBACK_

_Niri, still very upset about what her mother had said, goes to the island's Marine HQ, passing by several familiar officers. One stepped out in front of her and crossed his arms. "Niri, you know you're not allowed in this far."_

"_Jefferson, if you don't get out of my way, I'm going to hurt you," she threatened, looking up at the man. Jefferson was tall, but huge all around, all muscle, making his shirt stretch. His brown eyes closed as he shook his head. "I'm warning you."_

"_Look, Niri, we all like you and everything but you know the rules, no civilian is allowed this far-"_

"'_Unless a good reason is given.' I know. Look, I need to see Baron." _

_Jefferson let her pass but stayed by her side, giving her a funny look. "The Baron? Why? Come on, hun, you can't just go in and interrupt what he's doing. Besides, he's getting to transfer soon."_

_Niri stopped and looked up at him. "Transferred where?"_

"_Uh…" Thinking hard, the tall Marine ran a hand through his messy hair. "Oh, c'mon, Niri, I don't know." He looked after her as she walked by in a hurry._

_Weaving through the hallways, the young sharpshooter stopped at an office and knocked. Opening up the door, she saw Baron, her father's most trusted friend, hunched over his desk, writing something down on a file. "Baron."_

"_Sit and wait. I just have to finish this one report before sending it to the Admiral." Watching her sit, he shook his head. "Your hair is damp."_

"_Dart shoved me in the Blue." Tapping her foot, she chewed on her lower lip as she waited, giving up after five seconds. "Baron, I want to join the Marine!" She said loudly, her eyes closed as she waited for the decline._

"_Okay." Looking up, she watched him shrug and hand her an application and a pen. "Does your mother know?" She looked away before writing down her information. "I see. Does anyone?" Not getting an answer, he sighed and leaned over the table, snatching away the pen. "Listen, Niri, you can't join without someone knowing."_

"_You do. Don't try and back me out of this. You were my father's most trusted friend. Please, you have to understand." Taking the pen back, she returned to what she was doing. "Besides, I think that Dart and Anny are being hypocrites. They let Axe go, knowing full well that he couldn't come back because he was going to be a 'treasure hunter' so why can't I go out when I know full well what the life of a Marine is?"_

_Baron smiled and nodded, letting her finish. "Tell you what, you finish filling this out and I'll get you a spot in the Academy. That is, if you don't mind going through a bit of training first?"_

_Niri looked up and had to kick back an urge to hug him. "No, I don't mind. Quick question." He raised an eyebrow. "Where are you being transferred to?"_

_He closed his eyes and sighed. "Who told?"_

"_Jefferson."_

"_Note to self: demote the sneak." Niri giggled. "Tristram. There's a major harbor there that get a lot of pirates and rumor has it that even the toughest pirates go there."_

"_How soon?"_

"_This evening, at the latest."_

"_Well, then, I'll go there too, once I'm finished with the Academy, of course." Standing, Niri jerked a thumb to her chest. "Just you wait, Baron, soon, this chick's going to kick pirate ass._

_END FLASHBACK_

Grinning, he made a small bet with himself. One week before Niri goes nuts and shoots down the Academy. If not, he'd drink himself drunk for a full week.

-.-.-

"YOU WHAT?" Niri uncovered her ears and shook her head to get the ringing out. "Niri, you'll get killed!"

"Then how do you know that your son won't get killed. He's not a treasure hunter, he's a pirate. Anny, Dart, I want to do this, to honor my father and honestly, it gives me a slight chance of seeing Axe again."

Dart grabbed her arm and sat her down in the nearest chair. "Girl, you sit and don't give me any lip or I'll rip it off your face." He entered father mode and gave Niri a long stare. "Listen, Axe ate a Devil Fruit, we just don't know what kind. He's bullet proof but he's not blade proof. He's gotten a lot of practice fighting from you, your father and me, not to mention all of the other boys but you, you are still normal. You're just a normal person, no Devil Fruit, no special abilities and even if you could get stronger, honey, there are much stronger things out there than you."

Anny put a hand on Dart's shoulder and nodded. "Listen, we may disagree with you about being a Marine but put it this way, how many pirates die every day then think about how many Marines die every day. Pirates only fight because they got into it; Marines fight because they are the dogs of the World Government. You'll be in wars, battles, and then, this island will have two of the finest snipers buried at North Point. Niri, stay here, where it's safe, where your mother can keep an eye on you."

"Where my father is buried, where my best friend can never return, where I will grow up and never know the outside world. Anny, I've already signed up. You can't stop me now," Niri said, looking in her "aunt's" eyes. "Besides, I'm sure that out there," she stated, waving her hand at the window, "is a crew with Axe in it. If they get captured, I can easily bail him out. I'm Axe's only hope if he faces the noose."

"Guys, you've been like a second set of parents to me, but please, it's time for me to leave Aron and live my life." Dart put a hand on Anny's and nodded at his wife before looking back at Niri, nodding again. "OH! Thank you!" Hugging the both of them, Niri wiped her eyes. "I'll make you guys proud. I promise."

Dart ruffled her hair. "Just do us all a favor. When you see Axe, kick him once for us. He needs his ass whipped from time to time. We leave that responsibility to you."

-.-.-

Packing up a few of the things, Niri felt a cold shudder on her back. Turning, she saw her mother leaning against the doorway of her bedroom. "I guess I can't tell you no anymore." Niri shook her head and returned to her packing. "Niri, here." Stopping her daughter's hands, she sat the girl down and pulled out a pair of scissors. "You need a haircut." Carefully measuring, she drew the scissors close and began cutting Niri's locks, watching as the black hair fell. Brushing out what was left, she looked at her daughter. "Promise me you won't get hurt."

Nodding, Niri held onto her mother, biting back tears. "I love you, mom." Grabbing her bag, Niri left her mother's side and rushed off to the Marine HQ, hoping to find Baron before he left for Tristram. _Daddy, help me out while I'm at the Academy. And please, watch over Axe._

Watching her daughter from the front door, Niri's mother sighed. "Darling, watch over her. Carmen would kill me if anything happened to her girl." Closing her eyes, she shut the door and sat on her bed, crying as her step-daughter entered life, leaving Aron forever.

-.-.-

"Run, girl, the ship's leaving!" A sailor shouted at Niri. "Hurry up!" Gaining speed, Niri weaved in between the crowd, shouting at them to make a path.

As the sailors parted, Niri finally arrived at the docks and boarded onto the ship as Baron laughed at her. "You'd think you were running from death with how fast you were going." His shin was kicked and as he hopped on one leg, Niri stuck out her tongue. "Damn girl, if you're going to act like this, you'd better prepare to get harsh punishments."

"Bring it on." Looking back at the docks, she waved at some of the sailors, her vision blurring as she began to think about her island. She knew every tree, every rock, and almost all of the people that lived on the island but now, she was leaving and she'd probably never see any of them again. "Bye Aron, I'll miss you." She turned to leave, grabbing her bag as she did so.

"NIRI! OI! GIRL!" Looking back at the dock, she saw Dart and Anny looking up. "You forget something?" Dart held up her father's gun, making the girl gasp and reach down. "When you see Axe, kick his ass for us, got it?"

"Got it!" As the gun was tossed up, Niri smiled down at them. They were family, always will be. "Dart, Anny, thank you for everything." Wiping her eyes, she heard the captain command the crew to set sail.

Baron set a hand on her shoulder and nodded down at the family. "I'll watch over her. Dart, Anny, you two stay out of trouble."

"Bye guys!" _Bye, daddy. Please, watch over mom, Anny, and Dart. _"Take care."

As the ship set sail, Niri watched as her slowly fade away in darkness, giving way to the end of her childhood, letting the rest of her life take over from there.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

Disclaimer: I don't own OP.

A/N: **Alright, I'm kinda doing fillers until the Academy because, well, I haven't had time to read every fic that relates to the Axe-Head pirates and therefore, I do not know every Marine. So, until I get a list of said Marines, I'm doing a filler chapter. So bleh on you.**

_Darkness, all around; suffocating, deep, endless darkness. Running with all her might, Niri screamed as she ran, running from something that grew in size, bigger and bigger until only its shadow covered everything. Falling, Niri turned to see the dark creature, her eyes wide as it lunged in to attack her._

Gasping from the nightmare, Niri gripped her sheets as she let her eyes focus around the room. From what little light she had and her perfect vision, she could tell what where everything was in her cabin. Plopping down, she sighed heavily and looked up at her ceiling. It has been a week since she set sail from her home and according to Baron, it would be another three days before she became a pupil at the Academy.

Rolling over and curling up, she chewed on her lower lip. Normally, when she'd have a nightmare, she'd go to the tree house and sleep there, knowing that she'd be safe and that no one could see her being scared but now, she was on a ship, filled with other sailors and some Marine, cruising to the next Marine port, just a few miles from Shinoa Academy. Closing her eyes tightly, Niri tried to focus in one the motion of the ship as it went through the waves, hoping that it would lull her back to sleep.

-.-.-

As the captain shouted orders, he looked around at the crew and passengers that were on deck. Three of his men were scrubbing down the floor, five were untying the sails, another was connected to the mast, hammering in the nails that came loose and one more was checking the ropes that connected the dinghies to the ship. His eyes narrowed as he saw her, the only female on board, sitting on the rails on port (left) side. "Baron, your charge has yet to do any proactive on my ship. If you do not do anything about this, I will make her a temporary cabin girl."

Baron, who was enjoying his cup of coffee, looked over at the Zolaro. He didn't know why she sat there, there were plenty of seats all around, but then again, she was raised with Axe, so maybe she was as weird as he was. "Go ahead, I don't care."

"Miss Zolaro." The girl looked away from the Blue and looked up at the captain, standing as she did so. A sailor whistled at her before he was flipped off, only making him grin. "You are a distraction to my crew and therefore, must be punished for doing so."

"What?" Niri looked down at herself. How was she distracting? Nothing out of the ordinary to her, black boots, dark blue pants, tight long sleeved shirt, how was she distracting?

"You are to go with Mitch. He has a special job and you are just the person to help him." Looking at the cabin boy, he nodded. "Barnacles."

"WHAT? But that could take all day!" Niri shouted. Baron slapped his forehead and dragged his hand down his face. Yup, she was defying orders, not a good thing.

The captain just smiled and walked down a level and walked to be in front of her, holding up a scraper as he did so. Putting it in her hands, he ruffled her hair. "Then I suggest you get busy."

-.-.-

"Of course, give me the hard job! Doesn't he know I've never done this before? Of course not, he never asked and oh, the nerve of him!" Gritting her teeth, she pulled with all of her might at a barnacle before it flew off the ship, landing somewhere in the waves. "One."

The cabin boy just laughed. "You know, the captain isn't so bad once you get used to him. After all, he gave you a job where you aren't making the guys stare."

Niri narrowed her eyes. "Just because I'm a girl doesn't mean anything."

"That's just it, you're a girl. The guys up there only see girls when we reach port."

"Those perverts! I'm fourteen!" Niri shrieked, pulling up another barnacle. "Besides, I'd kick their ass if they tried anything with me."

Mitch laughed as her scraped up another barnacle. "Yeah, you're fourteen alright. After all, only a child would be shaped like that." Earning a glare, he pushed his luck further. "Tiny tits."

Without warning, Niri's feet pushed off of the ship's side and rammed themselves into his ribs, causing the cabin boy to lose his breath. Before he could say another thing, he was kicked in the groin and as he doubled over in pain, she kicked him again. "NEVER SAY ANYTHING LIKE THAT TO ME AGAIN! GOT THAT!" Returning back to her work, she managed to pull off more wood than barnacles.

-.-.-

Baron watched from over head, wincing as the cabin boy got kicked. "I think you may have to replace your cabin boy soon. I think she made him a eunuch."

The captain looked over the edge and watched as well. "Do I need to know why?" Baron shook his head and returned to his cup of coffee. "Tell me, why does she want to be a Marine? She's very insubordinate and mistreats others."

"He deserved that. Niri has a strong passion about being a Marine. Ever since her father died, she wanted to go in and fill in his spot. Her father was a great man and always came home with stories about the Blue, about his job and where he went and what he did. It's given her a dream since she was a child and when her friend left, I'm guessing that he's always another reason why, to see him again."

The captain shook his head as he heard the two below start to argue. "If she keeps this up, she'll have more enemies than friends. What can she possibly bring to the Marine that they don't already have?"

"The best set of eyes and one hell of an attitude to boot."

-.-.-

Falling on her bed, Niri groaned. "A full day of pulling barnacles. My arms are killing me!" A knock at her door made her groan louder. "What?" A muffled answer came through. "Yeah, enter."

"You look beat."

"Bite me, Baron! I had to pull barnacles! I can't feel my arms and I have so many blisters on my hands, I'm surprised they aren't bleeding!" Pushing herself up, she rolled over and sat with her legs crossed. Looking down at her hands, she sighed. "I take it back, they're bleeding."

"Poor Princess." Sitting next to her, Baron took one of her hands and put a tube of ointment in it, making her hiss in pain from the contact. "Rub this on your wounds, save you from scars. Other than that, how was your day?" Getting an "eat shit and die" look, he ruffled her hair. "I know, wasn't it great?" Dodging her kick, he walked to her door and looked at her. "Dinner will be on shortly." Closing the door, he could have sworn that she threw something at the wood.

Glaring at the door, Niri felt the pain of her hand suddenly shoot up her arm. Moving it and throwing the tube was not a good idea, considering that the tube scrapped against her bleeding blisters. "Don't call me Princess!" Falling on her back, Niri glared up at the ceiling, listening to the ship creek and the crew aboard the ship move around.

Was Axe on a ship like this? Was he hearing similar things? Chewing on her lower lip, she bit too hard, causing her lip to split and bleed. "Damn it." Licking away the blood, she began to think. _The captain and Mitch said that I'm distracting but then again, these men are deprived old men. I wonder if I can somehow…_ A sick and twisted thought rang through her head as she grinned. "This may work."

Getting up, she grabbed the tube of ointment and rubbed it in her wounds, hissing in pain as she did so. "How the hell does one get through this?" Licking at her bloody lip again, Niri began to rub her fingers, popping her knuckles as she did so. Ugh, ugly habit, she has really got to break it. Finally, stretching her arms, she felt her shirt rise up, revealing her navel. Looking down, she did have some muscle, enough to give her a flat stomach and give a nice dip of her belly button. Pulling down her shirt, Niri opened up the door and walked to the galley, hoping that the meal was at least decent this time. If she has to eat another burnt fish again, she'd shoot someone.

-.-.-

A burnt fish stared at her from her plate. Eye twitching, Niri glared at the cook who was whistling away, coating the woke (a giant frying pan in the shape of a bowl, pronounce walk without the L) with more oil. Poking the fish, she could tell that it was just a plain fish, no spices, no seasoning, no nothing. Back at home, her mother and Anny always made the best fish, with rosemary, a little bit of lemon pepper and there were always different ways to cook the fish, not just let it sit in oil until burnt. What she wouldn't give for a fish from Anny's tavern.

As the men drank their grog, one slid a mug over to her. "Drink up, girly. If you're going to be a Marine, you might as well drink like a Marine." The rest of the crew agreed, raising their mugs and pints in the air as they cheered "KENPAI!" Niri grinned. When she and Axe were eleven, they had snuck into his father's liquor cabinet and drank the contents in the jars. One by one, the spirits were gone and on the floor, passed out was Axe while Niri was looking for something stronger. Somehow, she was immune to getting drunk and she LIKED it!

Grabbing her mug, she raised it. Time to put her twisted plan into an alternate direction. "Tell you what, how about we make this interesting? If I get drunk, I will give every man here a kiss. But if I can't, you all have to give me at least a hundred Beli. Agreed?" The men all shouted their agreements and a piece of paper was passed around, the conditions labeled on it and only one man stayed out of the contest, to determine the victor and to give tests to see how drunk a person was.

"Bottom's up!"

"KENPAI!" Throwing their heads back to swallow the beverage, everyone slammed their mugs down, some belching as other whooped and hollered. Niri licked away the froth and slammed down her mug, giving the men a seductive glance. "Next."

One by one, mugs were filled and moments later, they were emptied all over again. As they all went through the tests, one of the Marine had passed out, falling backwards out of his chair, knocking it over as his feet were straight up in the air. Laughing loudly, many gave ideas on what to do. "Give him a mustache." "No, let's write on his forehead." "I got one be'er, let's, let's draw on his face, make him look like a girl."

Shaking her head, Niri looked around the room, telling that many were drunk, others were merely buzzed and she, properly sober without feeling the harsh buzz that would have been on the side of her face or the double vision that would make her sway around the room. Instead, she just sat there, her arms crossed with an evil grin on her face. If everything went according to plan, by the next morning, she'll have at least a couple thousand Beli.

As the night wore on, and more and more of the Marine passed out, one decided to get friendly with the only female on board. "Ya know, we Marine aren jus slong, we're brave oo." Giggling, Niri nodded along, barely understanding the man's slurred words. "An no jus brave, we're hansome, well, I am, don know abou those asshoes. Ya know, we shou go an ge ta know each otha." Wrapping his arm around her shoulders, he failed to see her fist clench up in rage. As he leaned in to give a sloppy kiss, he was shoved backwards and kicked in the groin.

"Foul, that's a negative Beli on his account," the only sober man said, shocked that she still wasn't drunk. "Then again, he did deserve it." Turning to the Marine in front of him, he cleared his throat. "Alright, lift a foot six inches in the air, parallel with the floor, your arms by your sides and count to thirty." Looking back at the black haired beauty, he shook his head. "What's your secret?"

"Pardon?" Niri looked over at him and raised an eyebrow. "I don't have one. I just can't get drunk. It's kind of weird, almost like my brain is telling my body to not give in to the mind altering substance. Besides, it's a great thing, in case I go to a bar and there is a guy waiting to nail my unconscious form, only, I can't pass out in drunkenness when I'm not drunk."

The Marine just chuckled and nodded. "It's a nice bar trick though." The girl just laughed and cracked up harder when the guy who was doing the sobriety test fell over after reaching fifteen. "Alright, Jason's drunk. Well, I guess that it means that you'll win." Jason stood up and tried to continue counting though he had completely skipped the last number he was on by fifty seven.

Niri grinned and nodded. "Kinda figured that I would." Stretching, she pulled down her shirt again and circled the top of her mug with a finger. "I just wish it was something stronger."

As Jason fell over, passed out, she laughed loudly, trying to hide her smile as one Marine began to get pissed off. Figures that most of them would be angry drunks rather than silly drunks. Thankful for him, a fellow Marine knocked into him after trying to walk to Niri. A fight broke out between the two of them, the two slamming each other into the table, breaking some of the plates and a few of the mugs. Disgusted, Niri stood up and leaned against a wall, watching the fight, shaking her head. "Men, I'll never understand why they always want to start a fight while drunk."

The night wore on and on, and one by one, the remaining Marine passed out until she and the sober one, who she later found out was name Chris, were left. "Well, Miss Niri Zolaro, you have emerged the victor. What will you do with your winnings?"

Niri shrugged. "I have no idea, probably go and buy something big. Or maybe just save it."

"If I was you, I'd save it. Especially if you should ever get gold." When she tilted her head, he chuckled. "Gold is so precious, you let it out of your sight and you'd never see it again, plus there are several who would kill to have gold near them. Plus, I heard that if you encircle yourself with gold, more will continue to pile up until you have more than One Piece."

"I've heard that. My… uh… well, I heard about it but what exactly is One Piece?"

Chris rested a hand on his heart and gasped, looking at the girl with horror. "You poor deprived naïve child. One Piece if the treasure Gol D. Rodger had, the King of the Pirates. He said this when he was hung from the gallows: "My fortune is yours for the taking, if you can find it first. I left everything I own in One Piece." Ever since, pirates all over have been in search for the Grand Line, the road Gol D. Rodger took in order to get One Piece."

Niri nodded, starting to fall in love with gold. "Do you believe it's real?"

"What? One Piece?" Seeing the girl nod, he shrugged. "I don't know, maybe but then again, there aren't many Marine interested in pirate treasure. Catching the Pirate King was good enough back then. Now, our goal is to capture and punish those who are pirates, those who break the laws and those who oppose the World Government."

_Axe, are you on the Grand line now? How close or far are you from One Piece? _Niri chewed on her lower lip, causing her lip to start bleeding again. "Well, it's been a long night, I'm turning in. Besides, I'm collecting Beli tomorrow so I might as well be in peak form. G'night Chris."


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

Disclaimer: I don't own OP.

A/N: -sighs- MAN! I forgot how much research goes into writing a story. Pulled an all nighter trying to figure out everything. What's really funny, when I read for research, instead of pleasure, my mind only looks for key words and so far, I have yet to find a lot of them. Well, here's another chapter of Niri's adventure.

Niri sighed as she waited patiently for the commanding officer to see her. Her foot tapped the ground quickly as she tried to control herself. _Don't go crazy, don't go crazy, don't go crazy._

_FLASHBACK_

_Baron handed her a file. "As soon as you enter the building, go up to the front desk, tell them that I sent you, if they say anything about it, you tell them who you are and if that still doesn't work, you tell them that Code Seven, Flash Nine, that will definitely get you in." Giving her a hug, Baron looked down at the girl. "You know, I still ask myself whatever happened to the cute little girl who used to come home with scrapes on her knees."_

_Niri looked up and bite back her tears. "She grew up. Thanks, Baron, for everything." Grabbing her back, she looked at the crew as they waved bye. "The next time I'll see you, Baron, I'll be a Marine being transferred to Tristram." Nodding to the crew and captain, Niri walked down the plank that led from the ship to the docks._

"_Niri! Try not to forget us!" Chris yelled as he leaned over the railing._

_Niri just laughed and kissed two fingers, giving them the V-sign. "Never." Walking away, she smiled and lifted her head up high. Sure, she and the crew had a bit of an argument, especially when she tricked them into doing her chores but then again, she did beat them all in the drinking game, earning her a good wad of cash._

_Walking through the town after passing by the smelly docks, many merchants spoke in loud tones, trying to get the new comer to buy their goods. Shaking her head at them, she continued on her way, passing by many Marine and civilians as they went through their day to day life. One woman stopped her and pointed a claw like finger in her face. "Child! I see everything about you. Daughter of captain and thief, friend of legendary clan, you will come to know pain and suffering! Turn back now while your soul has yet to be contaminated!"_

_Dismissing the old bat, Niri continued on her way. "My mother isn't a thief," she murmured under her breath. Finally coming up to the Academy, Niri put a hand to her father's gun, praying for him to give her strength. Walking through the doors, she was surprised to see that it was just a small room over-looking the training ground._

_A girl at the desk quickly wrote something on a file before sending it back into a pile of other files, rapidly stuffing an envelope, sealed it and stacking into another pile. "Help you?"_

_Niri jumped and nodded. "Yeah, I'm here to join the Marine."_

_The girl at the desk stopped everything and gave the sharpshooter a look over. "You're not Marine material."_

"_I was sent by Baron."_

"_And I by Gasparde. Go home, girl, we don't need you."_

"_My father was Captain Zolaro, stationed at Aran Island."_

_The girl looked up and then looked over Niri again. "Yeah, you're his kid but still, you're not Marine material. Go away."_

_Niri growled and threw the girl at the desk the file in her hand. "Look, I was brought here by Baron, my father's friend. ARGH! Code Seven, Flash Nine!"_

_The girl stopped whatever she was doing and looked at the file before looking at Niri again."Well, you are Marine material after all. Sniper, huh? Yup, same vision as him and everything. Alright." Handing Niri back the file, she pulled out a drawer and flipped through the files, stopping to hand Niri two documents and then pointed out the door. "Make a left after the pole and a right at the first door." Sitting back down, the girl returned to her paper work, ignoring Niri._

"_Thanks." Walking through the doorways that led to the training ground, Niri gasped. Marine officers trained the cadets as the cadets did all sorts of exercises, going through obstacle courses and doing laps. Passing by one group, she could tell that these were the stronger ones, one who used hand to hand rather than weapons. A big burly man looked over at her, curling a lip as he did so. Walking a little quicker, she didn't want to get on his bad side._

_Of few of the cadets were fishmen, mermen as they were commonly called. One looked like a stingray, his mouth wide and lipless. "Move it along, girl," one of the drill sergeants shouted, turning his attention away from his cadets as fought using staffs. Making a left at the "pole", Niri looked up, seeing one cadet climb up it, his face dripping with sweat as he struggled._

_Adjusting her bag, Niri walked through the doors that led inside, making a right at the first door. It was an office, no doubt belonging to whoever runs the Academy. Sitting down at the bench, Niri set her bag neck to her and waited._

_END FLASHBACK_

Quick steps were heard and looking up, Niri saw a girl, roughly the same age as her, running down a hallway, files in her arms as she tried to see over them. Tripping over her own feet, the girl gave out a small cry as paperwork flew everywhere.

"Hey, are you alright?"

The girl nodded and straightened her glasses. "Yeah, I'm alright." Looking all around, she gave a defeated cry and covered her face. "Oh, no, no, no, no! I'm going to be in so much trouble!"

Niri giggled and put a hand on the girl's shoulder. "No, you won't." Picking up the files, Niri stacked the folders up, trying to put the chaos back in order. The girl did the same but with a much quicker speed. Handing over the folders, Niri stood back up.

"Thanks. You didn't have to help."

"Yeah but if I didn't help, you'd probably still be on the floor picking up files before running off to wherever it was you were rushing off to."

The girl gave Niri a look over. "Are you a cadet?"

Blushing slightly, Niri shook her head. "Not yet but I will be. I'm just waiting for whoever it is that is going to approve my file." Holding out her hand, she smiled at the girl. "I'm Niri Zolaro."

"Zolaro? You mean, Captain Zolaro? Wow, so you're his kid. I'm Tashigi," she said, grabbing a hold on Niri's hand. "Um… I'm sorry if I'm in a rush but I have to give these to Commander Siamon. He'll be very upset if I don't deliver these right away. It was nice meeting you."

"Yeah, same to you." Watching Tashigi hurry on, Niri shook her head before sitting back on the bench. Tapping her foot again, she began to think as she waited, which was a very long time for her.

_FLASHBACK_

_At seven years old, Niri rushed to the tree house, determined to show her friend something new. "My daddy taught me a new game today, you wanna see?" Niri said, looking at Axe as he tied two sticks together, bundling them up for some reason. "Axe, are you listening?"_

"_Yeah, I heard you. What's the game?" Axe looked over at his friend, waiting to see the game._

_Niri giggled. "It's called Lightest Punch. Whoever can punch the other the lightest is the winner." Lifting up her sleeve, she grinned at him. "You go first." Axe, not really wanting to hurt her, balled up his fist and tapped her arm lightly. En evil grin flash across her face as she balled up her fist and punched him as hard as she could, hitting the spot in between the muscle, right on the nerve. As Axe cried out and grabbed his arm, she giggled and held up the V-sign. "You win."_

"_Your dad taught you that?"_

_Niri nodded and smiled broadly. "Yup, he and Uncle Dart were playing that. Then Dart told me about Red Hands. Wanna play?"_

"_Oh no, my mother kicks my ass at that game, I am not playing that with another girl ever again. Girls cheat!"_

_Whacking him over the head, Niri looked down at the boy. "Shut up."_

_END FLASHBACK_

Grinning at the memory, she remembered how hard they threw the punches, determined not to be the winner. Then again, she also beat him in many of the games her father and "uncle" taught her. It was all because they shared the cheating secret with her. _I'll never let him live it down that I kick ass whenever we go at it._

Chewing on her lower lip, she tapped her foot again, trying desperately hard not to flip out and pound her way into the office, even if the commanding officer wasn't in there. Sighing loudly, she looked up and down the hallway, realizing how stupid she must look.

About to give up, Niri bit on her thumbnail, trying to think of something to make her more patient. Memories flashed in her head but nothing made her actually think about them, other than they were good memories, except when she was about to be used as bait, that wasn't such a good memory. No, she needed something to take the edge off of her impatient waiting. Where was the commanding officer?

Finally, a Marine walked up and opened up the office door, holding out one finger to tell her to wait. Nearly growling, Niri rolled her hands into fists, ignoring the pain her nails gave her palms. The Marine, by looks, wasn't big but he wasn't scrawny, he was just average, and from the looks of things, he had seen one too many battles. Not even looking at her file, the Marine grabbed a seal, dipped it in ink and handed it back to her. "Welcome to the Marines."

Niri blinked. That was it? WHAT THE HELL? Gritting her teeth, she waited as he looked at her, some ancient wisdom in his eyes. "Bunker 7, you're under Commander Siamon's charge and once a week, will undergo a field test. Dismissed, Cadet Zolaro." Saluting, he looked into his office and shook his head at his desk. Feeling a little awkward, Niri saluted back and grabbed her bag.

-.-.-

Empty bunk, empty bunk, empty bunk, AHA! Stopping at an empty bunk, Niri looked around. So neat and clean the bunker was, completely void of all traces of those living in it. Setting her bag down on her bunk, she sat, trying to comprehend all that had happened.

_FLASHBACK_

_Before she could step anywhere, another Marine was next to her. "I'm your guide for the day," he explained before walking off, expecting her to follow._

_He paused as the approached double doors. "Mess hall. Breakfast is at oh seven hundred hours. Lunch at twelve hundred hours and dinner at nineteen hundred hours; you are either on time or you don't eat." Niri rolled her eyes, wondering when he got the stick up his ass. (_For those who don't know military terms, it's 7am, noon and 7pm) _The two walked quickly down another hallway and made two turns, a left and then a right before stopping at another set of double doors. "Library, all of the Marine records are in here. From cadet list to wanted pirates, it's all in here."_

_Not even giving her a time to even think, they were rushed off again. "You know the training grounds. All cadets must be on grounds at eight hundred hours, no exceptions." Upstairs, third door on the right, they stopped. "Shooting range. Inside is the armory, complete with the latest in weapon technology." As the two walked back outside, they crossed the training grounds, many looking at Niri. Once across the grounds, the Marine led her up a flight of stairs, and pointed down the long hallway. "Bunker 7 is all the way down there. Any question?"_

_Niri had to fight an urge to ask him when he got a stick up his butt but decided to go for a more innocent question. "Do the cadets ever socialize?"_

_Nodding stiffly, the Marine answered her question quickly. "Yes, at meal times. However, whenever the mood calls for it, there is a free hour for all to be at ease. Anything else?" When she shook her head, he simply nodded. "There are showers, just one floor up, separated, naturally." Looking down at Niri, he blushed slightly and then pointed to a closet. "Your bunker captain will provide you with a uniform." Returning to his stick-up-the-butt-ness, he turned on his heel. "Good day, Cadet Zolaro."_

_END FLASHBACK_

Scratching her head, Niri lay down on the bunk and closed her eyes. _I have no idea when my bunker captain will be here, nor anyone else in this bunker, so I might as well just sit and wait, _she thought, crossing her ankles, resting her hands on her belly. _I wonder what everyone is doing back at home._

A/N:** Yeah, I need the list soon, I can't keep saying "Marine" for a faceless character so um, whoever wants to help can. Please review.**


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

Disclaimer: I don't own OP.

A/N: Thank you all for the reviews. Kind of a filler.

Eye twitched. "You've got to be kidding me."

The bunker captain, Kisa, shook her head. "Nope, this is regulation uniforms. Unless doing field tests, you will wear this and you will not complain." The red head was started to get agitated by the girl. "Listen, if we're lucky enough, they'll change it so we can wear pants like the men."

"We'd better! How the hell are we supposed to fight? Can't kick without flashing someone, can really do much. IT'S SHORT!" Glaring at the skirt once more, Niri sighed. "FINE! But don't expect me to be happy about this." Looking at the bunker captain, she raised an eyebrow.

"Go then, but you're going to have to get used to changing out here."

Walking up one flight of stairs, she could hear those in the lavatories, all of them speaking loud enough to be heard over the running water. Shaking her head, she quickly dived into the women's room and looked around. Showers stood in the middle of the room, not even a curtain in between them and fellow cadets all around were talking at the lathered up their hair, the suds falling down their bodies and hitting the floor.

One girl motioned to Niri as the girl pulled off her shirt, tossing it in a corner. "Hello, hello, who are you?" one girl asked, her naked form leaning against a faucet.

Niri looked at her as she pulled down her pants, letting the fabric fall away from her hips. "Niri." _Might as well shower, I'm pretty sure that I'm covered in dirt and I'm not getting my uniform, or lack of one, dirty. _Pulling off her under clothes, she set them with her civilian clothes and headed into the warm water.

"Niri, huh? Oh yeah, you're the one everyone is absolutely buzzing about," the girl said, looking over the sharp shooter. "I can see why. Nice!"

Lathering up her hair, Niri shot her a dirty look. "I don't swing that way." Dunking her head back under the faucet, she looked at the other. "So, who are you?"

"I'm Sadie, top tracker here at the Cad. What are you going in for?" Sadie gave Niri the conditioner and watched as the girl applied some to her hair. "Wait, let me guess. Medical. No, by the way you stand, it's something more weapon. Mobile infantry?" Shaking her head, she ran a hand through her sandy colored hair.

"Marksman. My father was one of the best and I'm here to fill in his shoes." Wiping the soap out of her eyes, she looked over at most of the girl, some of them snapping towels at each other, others applying makeup, and those who were still showering, they talked amongst themselves. "Is it going to be like this every day, Sadie?"

The tracker shook her head. "Nah, sometimes there are bubbles involved." When the marksman shot her a look of shock, Sadie laughed. "I'm just teasing. No, it's like this almost every day, unless one of two of them get into a fight, then it becomes a party."

Niri rolled her eyes. "You swing that way, huh?"

"Both." Sadie winked. "It's interesting when your boyfriend catches you with your girlfriend or the other way around. Sometimes they think it's hot, other times, well, you lose a lot of fun. I had both my girlfriend and my boyfriend break up with me when he caught me and the next day, they were going out."

Niri laughed and shook her head, spraying water everywhere. "I'm sorry." Stepping away from the running water, she wrung out her hair and looked around. "Where are the towels?"

Sadie grabbed her hand and led her to the stalls, pulling out a towel from the shelves on one wall. "Sit on the benches and dry yourself off. I'll go get your clothes." Sighing, the marksman rubbed down her arms and legs before wrapping the towel around her body, shaking her head to spray the walls with water, in hopes of drying her hair. Wringing it out, she closed her eyes and hummed. A towel stopped her and she looked up, Sadie winked down at her. "You know, you have real pretty eyes."

"Thanks. I got them from dad." Come to think of it, she got a lot of things from her father. She and her mother look almost nothing alike. Weird. Sadie rubbed her hair dry, her nails scratching into Niri's scalp as the ebony colored locks flipped every which way inside the towel. "Do you do this to all of the new girls?"

Sadie smiled. "Not really. But then, everyone's heard about you, how you're supposed to be this amazing thing, though no one has seen you perform a field test." Sitting next to Niri, Sadie looked at her. "Besides, you're cute so I figured I'd have some fun. Shame that you aren't," Sadie said, her hand flipping from side to side.

Running a hand through her damp hair, Niri shrugged. "Doesn't bother me. Hell, I haven't even had a boyfriend yet."

"Mommy beating them away."

"Try my best friend." Axe was intimidating so even if a boy was to ask her out, he'd probably be too scared, seeing how the two almost never parted.

"Well, come on girl, we eat soon."

-.-.-

The mess hall was crowded, filling with talking and occasionally an argument would ring out. "You may not like the food, it's all MRE." (Meals Ready to Eat) "But there is an upside, we get fresh fruits and veggies and then, there are the desserts. Yum! Some of the best desserts ever made."

"Sadie, I think you're more in love with sweets then you are with love."

"Honey, I haven't found love, just flings. They come and go but I'm still looking," she said, winking.

As the two grabbed some MREs, Niri read the package. "Garlic chicken with yellow rice and mashed potatoes. Oh yeah, sounds delicious." Already her stomach was growling for Anny's home-made bistro or her mother's peppered beef tips.

Sadie looked at the desserts and then nudged Niri. "Quick, go grab a dessert before someone steals it."

Niri rushed over to the desserts and looked at the sweets carefully. Brownie, fudge, ice cream, death-by-chocolate, (seven different types of chocolate made into a cake), Niri giggled at the chocolate theme. OH! Chocolate parfait! Grabbing the last one, she could have sworn she heard a noise behind her but dismissed it as just someone talking. Looking around, she noticed Sadie's arm waving at her. Friends already.

Sitting in a seat across from Sadie, she noticed that the other occupants at the table were all eating instead of chatting. "Niri!" Looking up, the marksman smiled. Tashigi sat next to Sadie and looked over at the girl. "I thought it was you."

"Hi, Tashigi." Opening up her MRE, Niri's nose wrinkled. "This is potatoes and rice? Ugh!"

Sadie laughed. "That's why we get fresh fruits and veggies. No one can stomach those."Looking over Niri's shoulder, she smiled. "Uh-oh, looks like you caught pretty boy's eye." Turning to see where Sadie was looking, Niri blushed. A guy with red hair smiled at her and winked, causing that faint blush to turn even darker red. Looking away, she chewed on her lower lip. "OH! Someone's crushing!"

"Sadie, shush!" Tucking a piece of hair behind her ear, Niri looked up at Tashigi. "Is he still looking?"

"I think it's the uniform. You look good in a skirt," Sadie said with a smile. "Those long legs under a mini skirt, knee high boots, who wouldn't be turned on. Plus, the blouse gives you more depth in the chest."

Tashigi just giggled before she waved a hand at Niri. "He's Bret, demolition. You know, the ones that go in and start firing at everything."

"Demos are supposed to be a bit on the crazy side." Sadie took a bite from her steak MRE.

Grabbing her chicken, Niri ripped a chunk from the leg before wrinkling her nose. "This isn't food, this is torture." Still, eat what you can get. Finishing off the chicken leg, not even bothering with the rice or potatoes, Niri dug in to her secret delight. Yum, parfait. Maybe she could get the parfait every dinner.

Tashigi looked at Niri and smiled. "You know, being the daughter of a famous captain isn't a bad thing. I bet that you know loads of Marine secrets. I mean, your father-"

"My father was a great man, yes, but that doesn't mean that he shared everything with me. I grew up knowing the code, regulations, you know, the basics but that doesn't mean that I know some deadly secret," Niri said, looking up at Tashigi. "I was twelve when he died. I had to stand at North Point on Aran Island and watch them put my father in the ground." Looking down at her parfait, Niri chewed on her lower lip. "Just because he was a hero, doesn't mean that I get special benefits."

"Ah, so, who here hates MREs?" Niri giggled and raised her hand, along with Tashigi and a few others at the table. "Then it's settled, tomorrow, we tell them that they can shove these disgusting garbage up their asses."

"Sadie." Laughing, Niri looked over at Tashigi. "Hey Tash, is she serious?"

"Who, Sadie? Nah, She says this at least once a week but hasn't done anything about it yet." Looking at the blonde, she shook her head. "Sadie is sometimes a little out there, you know?"

-.-.-

Day in and day out, everything was the same. Get out of bed, go through morning inspections, eat in the mess hall, go out and train until noon, eat in the mess hall, do research for three hours, go back out and train through the obstacle courses, go back in to eat in the mess hall, shower and bed. Everything was routine, by the books, no mess ups, no screw ups.

"I don't know how you guys do it, I'm always so tired!" Niri complained, leaning on Sadie during lunch one day.

Tashigi just laughed and patted her friend on the back. "Lots of practice."

"Poor Princess is just sleepy. Must have been hard coming from a civilian lifestyle to a Marine over night," Sadie said, petting Niri's head.

"Baron called me Princess. I hate being called Princess."

Sadie looked down at her tired friend. "The Baron?" Niri just nodded.

Tashigi tickled Niri's sides, causing the girl to squeak. "Princess, Princess, Princess," she taunted.

Wriggling her way out of her friend's grip, Niri gave her a light glare. "I am not a princess, klutz."

"I'm not a klutz."

Sadie laughed. "Oh yeah, what about that one time you had to carry the files between the sergeants, you fell every five steps."

"Or when I first met you. A large pile of files and you tripped over AIR! How does someone trip over air?" Niri asked, poking Tashigi in the sides. "Face it, we all have our flaws, yours is that you can't stand for two minutes without falling down." Hugging her friend, she rocked them back and forth. "Besides, Tash, I'm sure that your coordination will improve in time."

Sadie nodded. "Yeah, I mean it's not like you'll be falling down in every mission, right?"

"Oh, I don't know Sadie, that might be pushing it just a bit."

"Shut up, you two!"


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six

Disclaimer: I don't own OP.

A/N: Regardless of what most of you said, I think that last chapter sucked! Anyways, here's a better chapter.

"Get up!" someone shouted at her. Standing from her current position, Niri fired her gun, shooting two men in the chest. Bright red splatters on their chests as they fell to the ground. Turning, she shot at three more that tried to come up behind her. When her automatic ran out of bullets, she quickly emptied the clip and replaced it with a fresh one, cocking the gun as she and her squad ran for a pyramid shaped building. Doing a dodge roll she had learned two days ago, she missed getting hit and when in a crouching position, she fired two more bullets, one in the heart and one in the head, to a man that approached her, holding a club to strike her with.

"Move it, Zolaro!" Standing and running to her team, Niri looked over and aimed her gun carefully. Pulling the trigger, she shot a barrel, causing it to explode, flinging many that were near it. Taking cover behind a tree, she counted the bullets fired at her, determined that the enemy was out before moving from her position to shoot them in the chest. "Move that ass! Hurry up, Cadet!"

To look away would mean that she would give the enemy a very slim chance to shoot her while she was distracted. Rolling into cover, she pressed her back against the wall of the building, catching her breath before looking at how many were left. After quickly counting, she looked over at the other marksman, holding up a number with her hand before nodding. The two turned the corner and shot down some of the remaining enemy before the other marksman was hit. Pulling back, Niri grabbed his ankle and dragged him into cover.

"MEDIC!" Turning the corner again, she shot the remaining enemy, reloading her gun and looked down at the marksman. Red splatter on his chest, he was a goner. Taking his gun, she and her squad left the building, running through the bushes, stopping at the dock.

"Where is it? Where is it?" One of the group members cried out hysterically. Suddenly, she arched her back and landed on her chest, a red splatter on her back. Diving into the water, Niri swam at least five feet down and treaded water. The bullets that were aimed for her fell apart, most on contact with the surface of the water, others making it maybe two or three feet before falling apart. (Proven on Mythbusters)

Needing to take a breath, Niri swam to be under the dock, where they couldn't get her and surfaced, taking a huge breath before diving again. Swimming after her group, the squad swam for three miles before surfacing for the final time, running for cover in the thick woods.

"Look, there it is!" Nodding, the leader motioned for them to move, running for a metal pillar. Running through the wood, the leader was shot down, his shoulder with a splatter on it. Niri grabbed him and tried to hold him up as they ran. Firing her gun, she could tell that she was less than five feet away. Her leader was shot again, this time in the head and as he fell, Niri shot at those that shot at her. Without any warning, a shrill alarm rang out, making her cover her ears.

"Take a breather," the medic told Niri. Nodding, she wiped away the perspiration from her forehead and then looked at a tower where the commanding officers kept watch. This field test was a survival. Once a month, they were given paint ball guns and led into a new terrain every day. If you were shot, you had to either act dead or wounded. The only way to end the test is if the running squad was to slam the red button on a metal pillar. If they didn't, the squad would fail and have to go through a punishment course.

Though this was her first, Niri felt like that did pretty good, considering that she had only been in the Academy for two weeks now. Sitting on her butt, she checked her gun. One last bullet left. In the gun she had picked up, there were at least seven left but still, she liked her gun, had a more familiar feel to it.

Over the intercom, the cadets could hear the names of certain individuals being called out. Wincing, Niri heard her last name and stood back up, brushing off the dirt from her ass. Though they were still in their Marine uniforms, Niri couldn't help but think about how difficult it would have been with the tight camouflage that they would normally wear on real missions.

Holstering her gun, she tucked the other one in between her skirt and belt as she and a few others trudged to the tower. Sighing, she prepared for the worst.

-.-.-

"Never, in all of my years as a commanding officer, as a Marine, have I seen a group of talented marksmen." The men behind the praising lieutenant just nodded. "I'm even sure that Admiral-" At that point, Niri tuned him out, keeping a close ear on hearing anything that might be of actual importance. Muscles sore, wanting to soak in a hot tub or at least relax while hot water showered down on her, Niri had to kick back an urge to suddenly yawn, to stretch and to sit down the ground to look completely bored. "Marksmen, dismissed and job well done." Saluting, Niri gave a small smile.

This means that the test was over, she didn't have to go through any rigorous training and she could go shower. A captain stopped her, putting a hand to her shoulder. "Listen, Zolaro, why don't you go to the shooting range, I'm sure that there is a few records you could beat."

"Yes sir, thank you sir." Sighing, she bit her lower lip, causing it to split. More records. It was bad enough that she was already beating some of the best. A small twinge in her stomach and a quick flutter of her heart gave her hope. Maybe, just maybe, if she showed a lot of improvement, she could easily get out of the Academy and transfer to Tristram. Nodding, Niri sprinted on her way there.

-.-.-

Reloading her father's gun, Niri held it up and fired away. Pressing a button, she watched as a piece of paper, in the shape of a man, came towards her. Taking it off the clip, she stared at it. Head shot, heart shot, two in both shoulders, the knees and the hands. Clicking her tongue, she crumpled it up and tossed it in the waste bin. She hated this, wasting ammo when it wasn't necessary. Stretching, she walked through the shooting range, pulling off the mufflers, tossing them to the side. Holstering her gun, Niri walked through the door, passing by many cadets as they made their way either to or from the shooting range.

"That's her!"

"I told you we've seen her before."

"Why does she hate her?"

"Who knows. Niri, wait up!" Stopping, Niri looked at the group of girls that had gathered around her. "Oh, I told you she's pretty."

"We all said that."

"Who cut your hair, I love it!"

"She's not wearing any make up! But how? You look so good without make up but I better you look even better with some."

"Did you really beat all of the records at the shooting range?"

"How good is your vision?"

Sick and tired of being flooded with questions, Niri raised up her hands. "ENOUGH!" Looking at the girls, she sighed. "First off, my mother did, I'm sorry I have a good complexion, yes I beat all of the records, and my vision is perfect."

The gaggle of girls giggled and squealed happily, walking with her as she tried her best to ignore them, smiling when she needed to but for the most part, stayed out of the conversations. Sighing, she rubbed her eyes before looking back up, her heart skipping a few beats. Bret stood before her, a smile on his handsome face. Looking at the girls, he gave them a heart melting smile. "Girls, can you give us a moment alone?"

Giggling, the gaggle left, each one of them blushing and whispering amongst themselves. "So, you're the new girl."

"Have been for two weeks now, so, yeah, I guess." Niri smiled and tucked a piece of hair behind her ear. "I know who you are, Tashigi and Sadie told me all about you, Bret the demo."

"Niri Zolaro, Princess Sniper. That's a good nickname for you," he said, grinning as she blushed from embarrassment.

Huffing, Niri looked away. "I'm sick and tired of people calling me that. It's all because of my father." Turning back at him, her blush deepened. "Though, I'm proud of him, you know?"

Walking down the hallway, the two earned several whispers about them. "I like this feeling."

"Pardon?" Niri looked up at him, confused.

"Feeling of being the most popular, who everyone wants to be or be with. Isn't it great?"

Scoffing, the marksman shook her head. "It's embarrassing really. I mean, sure, it's nice having friends but then, after a while, it gets old."

"They talk about you, you know." Bret smiled and ran a hand through his hair. "They're all talking about how you're an awesome shot, how you always manage to keep your cool in the survival exercises and well, I guess I'm jealous." She gave him a confused look, having no clue what he was talking about. "I'm jealous about people talking about you, and how you catch their eye. I don't like it when people look at you," he said, trying to keep the conversation light.

Niri frowned. "If this is your way of flirting, you're doing a horrible job at it."

"I guess what I'm trying to say is that I want you to be my girl."

"No." Walking away she felt him grab her arm. "Let go."

"I don't want them to look at my girl, to talk about her."

"I'm not your girl now let go!" Pulling close, she kneed him in the groin and ran off to find people, anyone. _Where's Axe when you need him?_

-.-.-

"He did what?" Sadie asked, pulling Niri into a hug. "Babe, I knew he was too pretty to be good." Looking up at Tashigi, the two nodded before Sadie pulled away from Niri. "Honey, we're going to go for a bit. Don't worry about anything." She kissed Niri's forehead and turned to walk away.

"Sadie." Niri looked at her friend and then lowered her gaze. "Don't get caught."

"Honey child, please, I'll be fine. Tash, you stay with her."

Tashigi went to Niri's side and wrapped an arm around her. "You okay?"

Shaking her head, Niri looked up at Tashigi. "It was scary. I thought that if I didn't get away, he'd hit me. I guess I'm not as badass as I thought I was, huh?" she said with a giggle.

"With how you shoot, you are badass; you just need a better sense of judgment on guys." Poking Niri's side, she grinned at the girl. "Besides, I heard that you got complimented by a lieutenant."

Rolling her eyes, the sharp shooter shook her head. "Tash, that was the most boring thing I had ever been through." The two giggled as they began mimicking the commanding officers.

-.-.-

Tashigi held Niri's arm as they walked into the mess hall for lunch, only to be stopped by a weird looking kid. "You're Niri Zolaro, right?"

"Uh, yeah?"

"I challenge you!"


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven

Disclaimer: I don't own OP.

A/N: Alright, this chapter will have part of chapter seven of kilnorc's fic, Grand Prix.

_FLASHBACK_

_Niri glared at the Marine trainee in the room. He was wearing square glasses and had dark blue hair, and he wore the standard recruit uniform of the Marines._

_"How can someone so annoying look like an annoying friend of mine?" She muttered under her breath, looking away. "His fault I'm here anyway."_

_"What're you talking about, Zolaro? It's __**your**__ fault I'm here!" the other recruit snapped loudly._

_She glared at him hard. "Bite me, Ashton! It's your fault and you know it, you just wanna blame me!"_

_"You wanna have a go at it?"_

_"Bring it on! First blood rules!" Niri unhooked her pistol belt and Sata lay his rifle on the nearest table, both of them raising their fists._

_As the two of them stared each other down, they didn't notice a large form walk into the room, holding a clipboard._

_"Sata, Zolaro..."_

_Quickly, both recruits spun around, faced the figure and saluted. Niri looked the man who had just walked in...or, at least she __**thought**__ it was a man. He was dressed in higher ranking Marine uniform, but he wasn't human. A merman, for sure, she could tell with the color of his skin, his abnormally sharp teeth and webbed fingers, but what type he was, she couldn't be sure._

_"...I am your trainer, Commander Siamon," the merman looked up from his clipboard. "You two have been put under my care."_

_"Great, a merman trainer," Sata muttered under his breath as he adjusted his glasses._

_Niri shook her head, but shrank back when she saw the merman grab her fellow recruit by his throat and lifted him clean off the floor._

_"Boy, you will show me respect, do you hear me? Here, I __**do**__ have the right to kill you!"_

_While Ashton gagged and nodded, Niri held back a giggle. She thought it was quiet enough, but when Siamon turned his head to her, she knew it wasn't enough._

_"Niri Zolaro," he looked her over, "Let me warn you right now. I do not care if you are the daughter of the Captain Zolaro, or that you are a woman, I will not go easy on you! You're a soldier now, and a tool of the Marines!"_

_Niri, who had a shocked look on her face, regained her composure, nodded and gave a salute, "I don't expect to be given any special treatment, sir! I am here to make my father proud and deliver justice to the world, sir!"_

_Siamon smirked and leafed through the papers on his clipboard. "It says here...that the reason you two are here now is that you two had a sharpshooting contest..." he murmured thoughtfully._

_"I...," Ashton coughed, rubbing his throat, "...don't see a problem with that, sir."_

_Niri nodded, actually agreeing with him._

_Siamon looked up and sighed. "...in the cafeteria!"_

_Ashton frowned and Niri made a silly grin, feeling a bit awkward._

_"Now, you two are under __**my**__ command and you __**will**__ behave accordingly!"_

_The two of them nodded. "SIR!"_

_"Good," Siamon looked at them, then at their discarded weapons, "Come with me to the firing range. Since you two seem to love guns so much as to blow the crap out of the cafeteria, let's see how well you can shoot with them."_

_-.-.-_

_The trio of Marines walked through the compound until they came to a large, vacant area filled with wooden dummies and large paper targets taped to them._

_"Okay, Sata." Siamon took a seat on the ground, actually now just coming down to Niri's eye level. "You're up first. What kind of gun will you be using?"_

_Aston scoffed and held up the strange rifle he had on him. "My Tommy rifle, sir!" he glanced at Niri hand smirked. "It's one of a kind."_

_Niri shot a death glare at him._

_Siamon cleared his throat. "How far will your target be, Sata?"_

_"Give me 700 yards, sir!"_

_Niri's jaw dropped, and she turned to her commander. "Sir, that's an impossible range for that gun! That's over 2100 feet!"_

_Siamon nodded slightly. "Indeed, usually, but let's see if young Sata here can back his words."_

_Niri turned back to see Sata pull out a scope from his pants and screw it onto his rifle. The recruit closed an eye and lined up his vision before letting loose a hail of rounds in less than thirty seconds. She was shocked! That rifle looked like an altered five shot rifle, but it had just fired at least one hundred rounds before reloading!_

_"No friggin' way!"_

_Siamon lifted a pair of binoculars and looked towards the far off target, letting a loud whistle escape his lips. "Holy...the chest is torn up and there are quite a few holes in the head area. Good job, Sata," he lowered the binocs and turned to Niri, "Zolaro, you're up. What will you be using and will you be using the same distance?"_

_Niri held up the scoped pistol. "My father's weapon from his years of service, and I will be going for 700 yards as well."_

_Ashton snorted loudly. "You think you can go __**that**__ far with a toy gun like that?"_

_"Watch your tongue, boy," Siamon snapped, slapping Sata upside his head, "That's the gun of Captain Zolaro, who in my and many other soldier's opinions, was a great man. That pistol put down many criminals from longer distances than a mere 700 yards!"_

_Niri couldn't help but smile as she lifted the pistol and looked through the scope, lining up the shot. As soon as she got her sights, she fired off six shots, one shortly after the other. When she finished, she brought the pistol back and blew the smoking barrel. "Kanpai..."_

_Siamon looked through his binocs and let out another whistle. "One round in the head, one in the heart, one in both elbows and knees...," he lowered the tool and patted Niri on the head. "Excellent shooting, recruit!"_

_"What's so great about that?" Ashton demanded, pointing to his own target. "She only shot six; I shot tons more than that!"_

_The merman turned to him. "She had both a heart and a head shot, which are kill shots, and then she shot the elbows and knees, which are neutralizing shots. All __**you**__ did was show me a kill shot."_

_"So?"_

_"So," Siamon bent down to him. "Not all criminals deserve to be shot to death on sight! If we need to, then yes, we shoot them, but if we have a chance to capture them and send them to the execution platform or prison, then we neutralize them! Understand, recruit?"_

_Ashton nodded quickly. "Y-Y-Yes sir!"_

_"Good." Siamon beckoned to Niri. "Zolaro, come with me, we have to have a chat. Sata," he glanced at the other recruit. "You have the rest of the day off."_

_Niri shot a smirk at Ashton as she followed the merman from the firing range. Ashton could only glare back at her, obviously angry that a girl had bested him in a shooting exercise._

_END FLASHBACK_

"Commander, why exactly did you want us to shoot in the range? All you had to do was look at the records," Niri said, trying to keep up with the merman.

"Zolaro, there is a lot to be said about a person by the way that they act. He shows a murderer, you show that you are willing to listen to a person." The merman looked back at her. "I spoke to Baron, seems you want out of here as quickly as possible."

"I do, sir. I made a promise to a friend that I would see him again and I hope that once I am out of the Academy, that I'd see him sooner."

"And 'Academy Aran' wasn't your idea."

_Busted. _"Sir, in order to enter this Academy, I had to have come from another academy but since I did, Baron made one up. It was all him, I swear, sir."

"Guppy, I believe you. However, I don't think the challenge in the mess hall is going to look good on your record." Niri smiled and nodded, actually happy that he was her supervisor. "Now go before I change my mind about everything."

"Yes sir, thank you sir!" Niri said, saluting before hurrying off to go find Tashigi. She hoped the girl wasn't mad at her.

-.-.-

The three friends sat around the table, Niri enjoying the last parfait, again, while she and her two friends talked. "And then, pretty boy just says that Niri is a liar and that no one should believe a pretty face. I told him that I didn't believe pretty faces and starting to smack the crap out of him."

"Sadie…"

"Alright, Niri, you're not pretty, you're beautiful, big difference. And don't worry, I didn't get caught." Sadie grinned, ripping open her MRE, lamb this time. "Besides, he's a wimp. Told you demos were on the crazy side."

Tashigi shook her head and then looked at Niri. "So, what happened?"

"Oh, Commander Siamon took me and Ashton to the shooting range, let us squeeze a few ones before evaluating our scores. After that, he sent me on my way while Ashton looked like he'd kill something. I've never seen a boy so mad before."

Sadie thought about something for a second before poking Nir's arm. "You're going out tracking tomorrow. Seems like you may need it."

"Marksmen don't need to track so why train us?"

Sadie shrugged as Tash looked up from her MRE. "I think it's because they want to train the ultimate Marine, one who is so strong, so fast, so smart, they'll be like, I don't know, twenty steps ahead of their opponent."

Niri just shook her head. "There is no way in hell that I'd be able to become this 'perfect Marine'. But if you're right, Tash, then the World Government is going to be making sure the Blue is free from all pirates." _Would I be able to protect Axe then?_

Sadie nodded. "Well, enjoy tracking tomorrow," she said brightly before stealing some of Tashigi's grapes.

"HEY!"


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter Eight

Disclaimer: I don't own OP, if I did, I would so turn it over to someone else. A bit too confusing for me to handle.

A/N: Alright! –stretching- Pulling another all nighter. Hopefully I'll get through Niri's Academy life before being transferred to Tristram. I'm hoping to do this all in one night so once I'm done with the Academy, then I'll slow down and not post every few hours. Here goes, a little bit of fan service before she returns back to training. THIS IS THE ONLY TIME! Also, part of chapter 37 of kilnorc's Homeland is in here.

"Tash, why are we here again?"

"TO HAVE FUN!" As Tashigi whopped and hollered, Niri rubbed her eyes, nodding her head. "Cut loose, Niri!"

Nodding to the beat, she looked up at one of the cages, a grin on her face.

_FLASHBACK_

"_Whoa, whoa, whoa, slow down and repeat that. We're doing WHAT?"_

"_SH!" Sadie put a hand on Niri's mouth and a finger to her lips. "We're going out. There's a night club that just opened and I really want to go."_

_Tashigi nodded, putting her head on Niri's shoulder as she gave her puppy dog eyes. "Please?"_

_Sighing, Niri closed her eyes and rubbed her forehead. Why was she getting the feeling that she would regret this later on in life? "Fine, but remember, I have training tomorrow."_

"_Psh. What's the worst you're going to do? Suddenly drop that special drinking thing and get wasted? Do you have any 'clothes' for the club?" Thinking on it, Niri shook her head. On Aran, her father and Dart would tan her hide if she were to wear anything that might be offensive. "Well, I'll bring you a set when we're in the shower. Trust me, honey, we're going to have fun!"_

_-.-.-_

"_I am NOT wearing that!"_

"_Why? You'll look so cute in it."_

"_AT LEAST GIVE ME A PROPER SHIRT AND NOT A BANDANA!"_

_Sadie shook her head. "Just put it on and see if you like it before rejecting it." Handing the bandana over to Niri, she watched the marksman comply and tied the bandana around her torso, tying it in the back. If she bends down or a wind blows a certain way, she'd be flashing everyone. "See, you look cute."_

_Ripping it off, Niri shook her head and handed it back. "You wear it then."_

"_Fine, be stubborn." Handing over a set of clothes, Niri nodded, pulling them on and then pulling on her pajamas. "Now, remember, when you hear the signal, it's safe to leave the bunkers and don't worry, I'll have a watch on so we'll be back on time."_

_Nodding, Niri set off for her bunker. Quickly jumping in bed, she waited for lights out to hear the signal. When she was sure that everyone was asleep, she heard it, Tashigi's bird whistle. Climbing out slowly and quietly, Niri pulled off her PJs and set them in her bunk before rushing out to join her friends. "Let's go!"_

_As the three rushed out to go to the club, Niri looked around a corner to see if anyone would catch them. "Go!" Once off the Marine compound, the three began to relax, walking to the club. "I can't believe I let you two talk me into this."_

"_Oh, come off it. No doubt once graduation comes, you'll be uptight again," Sadie said before looking at Tashigi. "And you, Tash, will be the uptight of us all."_

"_Child, death of a friend at sixteen, in darkness for three years, you've already gone too far!"_

_Sadie stopped and looked around. "What the hell was that?"_

"_Crazy old bat trying to warn me into staying pure. Just ignore her, she's been bothering me since I first came here," Niri said, pushing her friends away from the old woman. "Sadie, lead us to the club!"_

_Sadie snapped out of her curiosity. "Oh, right, the club." Giggling, she ran ahead leading the other two in a maze of streets. "Come on, it's just one more block!" Finally stopping, the three looked at the building. "It only looks run down but trust me, this place is going to be amazing!"_

_Once inside, Niri saw a bunch of bodies moving to the loud and heavy beat. Cages held dancers that hung from the ceiling, the bar was mostly empty, only being shared by a group of guys as they looked over for single girls. Sadie had disappeared somewhere in the crowd, causing Niri to sigh._

_END FLASHBACK_

Climbing into one of the cages, a blue light was shone on her. Her skimpy white tube top seemed to glow as mini shorts hung dangerously low on her hips. The legs were cut away, letting her legs out in the free air ending in heels that had ribbons leading up her legs. Listening to the beat, Niri closed her eyes, crouching down before slowly standing, arching her back as she did so.

As her body swayed to and fro with the beat, with the music, with her heart, she could barely hear the crowd that filled the club, her friends as they shouted up at her, or any whistles that she received. Kicking a leg high in the air, Niri grabbed onto the top of the cage, letting her hair dangle as she hung upside down. Flipping back, she circled around and around, laughing while doing so.

Sadie laughed up at her friend, watching as Niri danced to the music. Sure, she turned down the bandana as a shirt but then again, she had good reason. Plus, that just meant that Sadie could wear it and some skin tight leather pants. Looking over to find Tashigi, she shook her head. Tashigi, dressed in a low cut shirt and a mini skirt, was at the bar, trying to flirt with the bartender.

"Come on, Tash, we came to dance, not to flirt." Pulling her friend by the arm, the two went to the dance floor, pounding away at the heavy beats of the strange techno. The two were quickly joined by Niri, as she climbed out of the cage and moved to the. "Niri!" Hugging her friend, Sadie shook her head. "HOT!"

"Shut up!" Dancing, she grabbed Tashigi's hands, the two dancing together. Suddenly stopping, Niri narrowed her eyes, trying to see over the haze. "Oh shit!" Grabbing both Sadie and Tashigi, she pulled them away from the crowd. "Kisa's here!"

"Who?"

"My bunker captain! She's here!" Niri chewed on her lower lip. "Come on, we have to get out of her before she catches me and we all get in major trouble."

Sadie nodded and grabbed her friend's hands, leading them through the crowd. "Niri, do you remember the way back?"

"Yeah, why?" Sadie handed Tash over to Niri. "Sadie, don't."

"I'll be fine. Go or you'll get caught too!" Shoving her friends away, Sadie went back into the crowd. "C'mon Tash, let's go!" Hauling her friend to her feet, only just now realizing that she was drunk, Niri made her way to the door, hoping and praying that they don't get caught.

Once the cool air hit her skin, Niri began to shiver but continued to keep going. _Sadie, please be careful._ Making a promise right then, she swore that she would never go to another club while she was still in the Academy. Only stopping once to let Tashigi empty out her stomach, Niri looked all around, hoping that they wouldn't get caught.

Finally making it back on the compound, Niri dragged her drunken friend to the showers, changing her and giving her a glass of water. _Sadie, where are you?_ Once she was sure that Tashigi would be fine, only dealing with a tiny drunkenness, Niri quickly changed herself, tucking her clothes away where Sadie had originally hidden them. Walking Tash to her bunker, Niri waited until her friend was in bed before she rushed off to her own bunker, climbing into her bed, chewing on her lower lip.

-.-.-

"What do you mean?"

"I mean I can't find her anywhere." Tashigi watched as her friend punched a wall, wincing as she spilt a knuckle. "Look, go get ready for your training session; I'll continue to look for her."

"Tell me as soon as you find out, Tash."

-.-.-

"I don't get it, sir. I'm better at marksmanship, why do we need this sort of skill? Also, do we have to wear these?"

Niri looked down at her forest camouflage uniform and tugged at the utility vest strapped to her chest. "Kinda tight."

The commanding officer rolled his eyes. "Sorry, Princess, but the World Government doesn't exactly go for comfort on the battlefield."

Niri's eye twitched. She hated being called Princess because she was Captain Zolaro's daughter, but she knew better than to lose it against a superior officer.

"Sir?"

"What is it, Prelude?"

Prelude? Niri turned to see a girl, around her age, lowering her hand. The girl was dressed in the same attire as everyone else in the group. She didn't know the girl very well, but she had the feeling there was some tension between them.

Niri turned to a nearby cadet. "What kind of name is Prelude?" she whispered.

At risk of getting in trouble, the cadet leaned back to her. "That's just a title. Besides you, she's the brightest recruit here at Shinoa Academy."

"Oh...okay."

"Zolaro!"

Squeaking, Niri looked ahead, her arms at her side. "Sir!"

The commanding officer leaned forward, growling a bit. "Pay attention. I don't care if you are Captain Zolaro's daughter, I will not have someone in this unit who thinks they can do what they want because of their family."

"But, sir, I never-"

"Stow it, soldier." The officer pulled back and looked at his group. "Since the Princess didn't hear our goal for today, I'll repeat what Prelude just told us." He turned and pointed to the thick forest that sat on the edge of the island a short distance from the Academy. "There is a group of specially trained Marines in those trees, and your goal today is to find a trace of them, and see if you can find each one. Do so by dusk, and you'll get a reward."

Niri groaned. "Man...I never did get this tracking thing down..."

"Zolaro! You just volunteered to be part of the first group in. Get movin' soldier!"

"Yes, sir!"

-.-.-

Completely exhausted, Niri slammed her head in the table as she sat with her friends, once Sadie was found of course, her hand on a parfait as it seemed to cool her down. "Where were you?" she asked, not even bothering to look up.

Sadie only giggled and blushed, not saying a word. Tashigi shook her head. "She was making out with Kisa."

"What?" Niri's head shot up as she saw her friend blush. "Sadie, you didn't."

Changing the subject, Sadie waved her hand. "So, how was training?"

Niri's head slammed back down on the table. "I failed."

"Poor baby, need some help?"

"No, thank you." Looking up, Niri began to sport a red spot on her forehead. "If I fail again, only then will I ask you."

"Deal."

Tashigi watched as Niri laid her head back down. "You're going to give yourself a headache that way."

"Thank you, captain obvious." Looking up at Sadie, Niri sighed. "I can't believe you made out with my bunker captain." Taking a bite of the parfait, Niri could have sworn someone was glaring at her.

Sadie laughed and looked at Niri, a seductive look in her eyes. "Jealous."

"You wish."


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter Nine

Disclaimer: I don't own OP.

A/N: WOOT! Over a hundred hits. I guess you guys like this. For some odd reason, I thought you guys would just blow this off, say it's good only for the sake of reviewing then, I don't know, do something else. Thanks guys. Here's the next chapter.

"I FAILED THE DAMN THING AGAIN!" Niri cried out, slamming her head into the table once more. While Sadie cracked up at her friend's actions, Tashigi tried to console her. "I mean I was RIGHT there! I was! But I got lost along the way and ARGH!" Slamming her head again, she sighed. "I think I'm going to go squeeze a few, hopefully that will calm me down."

Sadie just laughed, catching hold of Niri's arm and sitting the girl back down. "Oh no, you are going to sit and you're going to eat that damn parfait. You got, you eat it."

Niri looked up and then looked at Sadie. "I've grown tired of parfaits, I just get them because it ticks her off," she said pointing at a fuming Prelude. "I found out she likes them. Also, I've been beating all of her records at the shooting range, and I've only been here for a month."

Tashigi smiled and patted Niri's hand. "Well, pass the tracking test but you'd have to hurry and finish it or you'd never be able to do the survival."

Giving her friend a hard look, the marksman raised an eyebrow. "I thought that they were random."

"I carry a lot of files but when I tripped today, laugh all you want, I saw that the survival course it sometime this week."

Sadie laughed. "So that's why you fall, to see inside the files. You little sneak."

"Nah, she can't be a sneak, sneaks don't trip or fall every five minutes."

"Shut up, you two."

-.-.-

Sadie waited for Niri at the gate of the tracking grounds. When Niri came up to her, passing her, Sadie looked at the marksman's back. "HOW COULD YOU FAIL FOR A THIRD TIME?"

Niri grabbed her gun and fired a bullet really close to Sadie's head. "Now is not the time to further provoke me." Walking off, she threw down her pack and went to the shooting range. Attaching the slip of paper to the clip, Niri pressed the button to move the paper back, grabbed an automatic from the armory and fired away, not even bothering to aim.

As the gun clicked five times, showing it on empty, she filled the clip and began firing again. _I can't believe I failed that damn test again! I am not a tracker, I am a marksman! Who the hell does the World Government think they are slamming cadets into areas where they are weak in?_ Without warning, years of pent up rage came pouring out, somehow stimulating her finger to fire faster. Refilling the gun for the fifth time, she glared at the paper, her eyes focusing in on it.

Gritting her teeth, she felt her finger start to scream in pain as she continued to pump lead into the harmless paper. _This is all his fault! If he hadn't eaten that goddamn fruit, he wouldn't be out in the world right now trying to be a pirate! If he hadn't left, I would have one less reason to join this stupid academy. I could have probably been transferred back home, but NO! The baka decides that he wants to BE A TREASURE HUNTER ALL BECAUSE HIS NAME IS SAMUEL D. AXE! _

Throwing the gun at the paper, Niri collapsed to her knees, tears falling fast down her face. "Axe…"

-.-.-

Kisa shook her head at Sadie. "She doesn't want to come out."

Tashigi brushed past the couple and went into Bunker 7, moving to Niri's side as the girl curled up, gripping her pillow as hard as she could. "Niri? Come on, you can't stay in bed. You have to get up." The marksman's jaw clenched as her knuckles turned whiter. "Niri?"

"Go away, Tashigi." Tashigi didn't move an inch, just moved Niri's hair out of her face. "Go away," she muttered again before looking up at her concerned friend. "GO AWAY!"

Sadie pulled Tashigi away from Niri before looking down at her friend, giving her an icy stare. "Come on, Tash, before she shoots at you."

Flinching, Niri looked away from her friends, gripping the pillow at tight as she could. Shooting at Sadie may have cost her a friend. Chewing on her lower lip, she closed her eyes tightly, feeling fresh tears roll down her face. _Sadie, I'm sorry._

-.-.-

"SHE SHOT AT YOU?" Tashigi shrieked at the top of her lungs. When Sadie growled, she shook her head. "But why would she do that?"

What does it matter? She shot at me! I could have died! I mean, it was scary! The bullet just whizzed right by my head but I could have sworn it hit me by how close it was," Sadie said, rubbing her ear.

Tashigi looked at Sadie closely, looking her over. "She's got amazing reflexes when it comes to a gun so there is no way that she would have hit you. It was probably just to scare you or something. What exactly did you do in order for this to happen?"

"Oh." Sadie looked at the table and then back at Tashigi. "I yelled at her for failing for a third time," she said quietly.

"Then there you go. Go apologize and I'm sure that she'll apologize as well. I'm sure it's killing her inside," Tashigi said with a nod.

"THEN SHE SHOULDN'T HAVE SHOT AT ME!"

-.-.-

"Niri Zolaro?" Looking up from her pillow, she nodded. "You have a letter," the messenger said, handing over the envelope. As he walked away, Niri flipped it over, opening it up and pulling out a coin. Grinning, she set the coin on her pillow and crumpled up the letter.

Standing up, she quickly walked across the bunker, jogging as she passed by the bunker captain's room and giving a full run to find her friend. Weaving in and out of she failed to hear the warning coming from the shooting range.

A gun, trigger stuck had fire away blindly. As people ducked away from the bullets, someone shouted for everyone else to duck and dodge as well. Niri didn't hear it. Around her, people hit the deck, covering their head with their hands as she ran by. Feeling a sharp pain, she stopped and put her hand to the wound, looking at the blood that stained her hand. Another pain hit her leg as she fell forward, screaming as she hit the ground.

-.-.-

Sadie, walking around a corner, dodged back as bullets hit the wall. _What in the Blue?_ Looking back, once she was sure it was safe, she saw Niri fall. "NIRI!"

A/N: Short but hey, I'm kind of pressed for time. Have a busy day and I only have enough time to put this up so bleh on you.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter Ten

Disclaimer: I don't own OP.

A/N: Alright, have loads of free time so here's the next segment of the fic. I'm also thinking about doing a Pingu fic. Did you know there is a show called Pingu, and it's about a penguin! I did not know that until I was babysitting my neighbors' kids one morning. I think people have been reading kilnorc's fics and been taking some of the ideas. –shrugs- Who knows?

People crowded all around as they gathered the wounded. "MEDIC! Someone get a medic here!" One cadet cried, going from person to person. "Oh no! Someone help!" Sadie, who was holding Niri's hand, looked up at the cadet. "You, put pressure on her shoulder. She's been hit."

As medics came rushing in the chaotic hallway, once the gun had finally quit firing off at everyone, they went around, some shouting, others murmuring hushed words to others, either to calm them down or to keep them calm as they worked on the wounded. "He's going in shock! Take him to the ward, STAT!" A medic flew to Niri's side, removing the bloodied rags that a cadet and Sadie held. "Another's been shot! Two grazed wounds!" Looking up at Sadie and the other cadet, the medic nodded. "We'll take her to the ward."

As a male medic picked up the bleeding girl, Niri, still very conscious, tried her hardest not to scream as she grit her teeth, trying to move her left hand. With her eyes closed tightly, she could tell that there were people working their damndest to try and save some that had been shot. There were many, like her, that were just grazed but then, there were the other cases, the more serious ones.

Two cadets, from what she heard, had been fatally wounded and were fading fast. A needle was stuck in her arm, a mixture of morphine and water dripped into her blood stream. Starting to feel relaxed, she opened up her eyes to see someone stitching up her leg. "Hey. You were one of the lucky ones. How do you feel?" the medic asked, looking up from his work.

"Like I'm on a cloud. I'm stoned, aren't I?" As he laughed, she took that as a yes as she blinked up at the ceiling. "How bad?"

"If you don't pick at it, your leg won't scar. Can't say the same for your shoulder. That one is pretty deep but you'll still have all functions, you just can't go through any activities for a few weeks," he said, pulling at the needle. She groaned and put a hand to her eyes. "Don't worry, this just means that you'll be working on other things rather than survival. From what we've all heard, you're top dog in the range so I guess that you'll be working on paper work."

"I have to do a tracking test tomorrow. I failed it three times," she groaned, smelling the alcohol. He parted her legs with his hands, quickly wrapping gauze around the wound. "That's a little tight."

"Sorry but it has to be or it'll fall down, possibly ripping a few stitches. We can cut them in a week so until then, you'll have to push the test back." Tying the gauze quickly, he rotated to the other side and began to work on her shoulder. "Good thing you're right handed, huh?"

Nodding, she looked over at the needle before looking back up. "I wish I wasn't though." Looking up at him, she grinned. "I wouldn't be able to do paperwork then." He chuckled, his eyes concentrated on her wound. "How long will this heal?"

"A week and a half, maybe two weeks. Then again, you have more stitched in here so same rules apply." He heard his name called and looked up. "We lost two already and another just came in D.O.A. He was holding the gun."

"D.O.A.?"

"Dead On Arrival." He looked back at the wound before looking at her. "Working on the epidermis now, shouldn't take too long." She raised an eyebrow. "Your skin." She nodded and put a hand back on her eyes, trying to ignore the wavy vision. It suddenly felt like her head imploded; like her brain was suddenly missing and she could walk around inside her head.

Deciding that having her eyes closed was a bad idea, she opened them back up and looked over to her shoulder. Already wrapped up in gauze, she looked around. "Hey, she's up!" Tashigi went to her side and patted her good arm. "How do you feel?"

Sadie held her hand and rubbed the rough knuckles. "You okay?"

"I fell asleep." The two giggled. "They gave me morphine, felt really relaxed. I guess it wore off."

"Nah, they took it out," Tashigi said, smiling at her friend. "You okay?" Niri nodded and motioned to her leg. "Oh, don't worry. Everyone was told and as soon as you can twist and bend again, you're back on the field."

Sadie nodded and looked down at her friend, rubbing her friend's head gently. "Lieutenant Nedry isn't happy that you won't make up the test so soon."

"Nerdy? Oh, the tracking officer. He HATES me."

Tashigi just laughed. "Well, you can leave and start on paperwork if you want." Niri groaned. "But it's late so maybe you should sleep before you start on it," she suggested. "Oh, we took the last parfait for you."

Laughing, Niri nodded. "Oh yeah, Prelude should be happy about that."

Sadie smiled and looked at her friend. "You should get some sleep. We'll be back tomorrow to help you go wherever they still you."

"I'm not the only one. A lot of paperwork is going to get done, especially since there are going to be three reports about the cadets."

Tashigi nodded, her eyes on the floor. "The funeral arrangements are two days from now. Until then," she said, wrapping a black ribbon around Niri's good shoulder. "We as the Marine must be in mourning." Looking back at Sadie, she gave her friend a hug as best as she could. "We'll come back to pick your ass up tomorrow. Until then, sleep."

"Shut up, Tash, or I'll kick your ass."

-.-.-

Looking at the tower of paperwork, Niri's eye twitched. "You have got to be kidding me."

Tashigi laughed, watching her friend sit in a wheeled chair. "I know it looks a lot but in all honesty, it's only a few pages." Grabbing the crutches, she set them against the desk before picking up a file and handing it to her. "Just fill out this, this and this," she said, pointing to the blank lines on the report. "But you have to read the description first. Basically, you're evaluating the other cadets based on their records so the commanding officers can update the scores, giving a further review on the cadets."

Picking up a pen, Niri read the description._ Good thing daddy taught me how to read and write. _"Do you do this, Tash?"

"When not in training, yeah." Niri's jaw dropped, causing her to laugh. "Don't worry, I didn't look through you file. Friends don't do that to friends."

"Thanks Tash." Sighing, she looked back at the tower of files. Looking though the file, she quickly came up for some assessments about a few cadets, only stopping to fully read if someone caught her eye.

Stopping at her own file, she grew curious. _What did they say about me? _Opening up, she nearly ripped up the paper. _"Niri 'Princess Sniper' Zolaro," I'm going to kill whoever wrote that! Better yet, ERASE THIS! Okay, now everything else sounds a bit right but, huh? "Has a tendency to lose temper and snap at commanding officers. Best scores of the shooting range, keeps calm in a survival test, poor in tracking, has a record of a shooting contest in the mess hall." ARGH! I thought that, you know what, forget it, I'll let one of the other cadets fill this out._

Setting it off to the side, she grabbed another file, rubbing her knuckles before she looked at them. _I need to quit popping punching things. Face it, Niri, you're helpless when unarmed. There's no way in hell that I'd be able to defend myself without my guns. Snowball's chance in hell._ She leaned back in her chair and sighed heavily. _I wonder what everyone is doing right now._

-.-.-

Stretching her arms as much as she could, Niri looked out the window to see the golden hues of sunset. A few stars came into view, breaking the rift between night and day. In the background, outside of the world of the written word, she could hear others move around. Other cadets were getting ready for whatever they did after dinner and in all honesty, even though she had missed her dinner, she wasn't really hungry. No doubt that her friends would bring her the last parfait that she had grown attached to.

Grinning, she remembered. She did enjoy it, the first few weeks but it was out of pure habit that she got it now, never minding that it upset the other best marksman. Prelude was going to have to suffer a little bit longer. Maybe she can eat all the parfait she wants once Niri gets transferred to Tristram. Closing her eyes, she put a hand to her bandaged shoulder, beginning to imagine the muscles fixing themselves. She was pretty sure that it would take long for it to heal. Maybe a month or so?

"You're still here?" Looking in the doorway, she saw Tashigi holding up a parfait. "Got you this."

"You can have it; I'm starting to get sick of it." Slowly standing, using the desk in front of her as a brace, Niri reached over and grabbed her crutches. Letting her weight fall on them, she looked back up at Tashigi. "Come on, let's get out of here."

Tashigi nodding, taking a bite of the chocolaty dessert. "Hey, Niri, can I ask you something?"

"Fire away. Oh wait, let me hide somewhere before you do," she teased, wincing as she landed on her wounded leg a little too hard.

Laughing, Tashigi poked her friend's side. "Karma. Um, I was kind of wondering about something. You told us once that you wanted to see your friend again. What happened, did he get transferred somewhere?"

Niri chewed on her bottom lip. "Actually, he's on a sightseeing…thing. He um…he wants to see other places and the difference between cultures and…things…like that," she lied, hoping that Tashigi wouldn't see through the fib.

"He's not a pirate is he?"

"No, no." _He's a "treasure hunter". BIG difference._ "He's just curious about the world," Niri said. Looking up at the half moon, she grinned up at it. Tilted so the curve was facing the ground, it looked like his smile. That mischief filled grin, one that also preceded mayhem and chaos, no matter how small. "I'm reminded of him a lot though. He's everywhere to me and though it's aggravating, it's comforting, you know?"

_Always around to protect me, aren't you? _Smiling, she looked back at her friend. "Come on, let's go find Sadie, I'm tired of offices."

-.-.-

Leaning on her crutches, Niri saluted the three caskets that lay in the training grounds.

"The Marine is all about serving Justice to the world, making sure to protect those that need protecting, to be a service. These three cadets were unfortunate enough to be a full Marine, to know the duty and honor of going around, serving the world as a member of the World Government's Marine. But today, we do not grieve for three people, no, we grieve for three Marines. Cadets that have enlisted, trained hard, and died while in the Marine."

"We, the commanding officers, the cadets, members of the World Government's Marine, bury these three soldiers. May their strength be known as their memories live on!" Saluting at the three caskets again, the Academy rang out in silence as the caskets were taken away. "Burial party, dismissed."


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter Eleven

Disclaimer: I don't own OP.

A/N: Thanks for the reviews. Okies, it's like, REALLY FREAKING cold outside, comfortably warm inside, and as I'm typing this up, I hear several noises from my kitchen, almost like gun shots. I go out to look and it's my mother's wisteria seed pods (we brought in the ones that went open yet) opening up and shooting the seeds out all over the kitchen. THE PLANT IS A WEAPON!

Niri stretched her legs and looked at Sadie. "Think I'll pass it this time?"

"If you don't, I get to kick your ass. I would say break a leg but you actually might," the blonde said, getting flipped off. "Just think about it like this. You're a sniper with a REALLY bad gun and the only way to kill them is by close contact. Gather the information like that and head back to Nedry. Just don't shoot at them, got it?"

Nodding, the marksman adjusted the tight uniform. "You'd think I'd be use to this."

"Yeah well, they use a lot of starch. Enjoy tracking," she said and patted Niri on the shoulder, completely forgetting it was still wounded. As Niri cried out, she panicked slightly. "I'm sorry!"

-.-.-

"Ah, so the Princess is back. Good to see you again, soldier." Nedry leaned against a tree, lighting his cigarette.

Gritting her teeth at her nickname, she saluted. "Thank you, sir." Looking at the smoke that was coming off of the cancer stick, she felt her left hand twitch. Though she could move her arm a little, she still wouldn't risk ripping the stitches.

Nedry took a drag from his cigarette, flicking away the ashes. "Tell you what, since you're still wounded, I'll go easy on you."

"No sir, my arm is fine." _I will not use my arm as an advantage. _Nedry just nodded, taking another drag. "Alright then, you know the mission, get started, soldier."

"SIR!"

-.-.-

Her head slammed against the table again. "YOU FAILED AGAIN?"

"I passed." Still, her head didn't lift. "I just have a headache and my arm is killing me."

Tashigi smiled. "Take some pain killers."

Looking up at her friend, Niri shook her head. "They took away my vicadin, said that it would disrupt my vision in the tests," she explained, slamming her head again. "Besides, if I substitute one pain with another, I completely forget about the former."

Sadie laughed. "Who taught you that?"

"My 'uncle'." Niri looked up at her. "Tash, pinch her arm." When Tashigi did, Sadie cried out in pain, rubbing the skin. Reaching over and pinching her other arm, she watched Sadie switch sides, nursing the newest hurt. "Point proven."

"Still hurts," Sadie whined, looking like a kicked puppy.

Niri smiled. "That's what I said before he sent me on my way." Looking at her wrapped up shoulder, she slowly unwrapped the gauze, hissing at the tension was released. Finally removing the bandage that held it in place, she flinched. "That is so gross."

Tashigi looked before recoiling. "Put that away, it's disgusting."

"Looks infected to me." Niri looked up, eyes wide. "Go to the ward, ask them to look at it and I'm sure they'll fix it up like new, well, kind of new…ish."

"Newish, yeah, I so like that sound," Niri said sarcastically. Rewrapping her shoulder, she stood. "I don't want to lose an arm; I need my arm for shooting a rifle." Walking away from her friends, she began to chew on her lip again, growing very concerned for her arm.

Walking to the ward, she began to pick at the gauze, thinking about what life would be like without an appendage. Without an arm, she wouldn't be able to do many things and that began to scare her. Sure, she's heard about several people who have lost an arm before, even a famous pirate lost his arm!

Eyes welling up with tears, she stopped at the ward, trying to stop crying as she went to a medic. "I need someone to look at my arm, I think it's infected." When the medic nodded, she sat in a chair and sighed. If she ever got hurt at home, her mother would fix her up as good as new and Anny would give her something sweet to make her day a little better.

"Back again, huh?" a medic said, the same one that stitched her up.

Smiling up at him, she nodded. "Only to see you." Unwrapping her shoulder, she showed him the wound. "I think it's infected." Watching the medic become interested and gently prod the bullet wound. "It's been burning and hurting all day."

"Yeah, it's infected," he said quietly, cutting free some of the stitching. "I'll have to take off the scab that's formed and clean your wound before dressing it again." Grabbing what he needed from a medical cabinet, he set it all on a tray, putting on a pair of gloves before sitting down next to her. "Alright, I've got to cut the stitches first then reopen the wound. You might need to grip something when I cut off the scab though."

Grabbing onto a stress ball, she gave it a few squeezes with her unoccupied hand. That's when she felt the metal cut into her skin, tearing the scab from the skin. Digging her nails in, she could have sworn she could feel them in her palm. Gritting her teeth, she felt as the wound was exposed to the air, the scab being thrown away. "This will sting." Fire shot through her arm, flaring all the way to her head as rubbing alcohol was poured onto the wound. The medic squeezed her shoulder, wiping away the blood and pus that poured out. Pouring on more, he gave her shoulder a final squeeze before grabbing his needle.

Popping the once squishy ball, Niri felt her nails cut into her skin. "Why couldn't you give me morphine to at least kill the pain?" she growled out through gritted teeth.

Laughing, the medic threads the needle expertly through her wound. "Because we're out at the current moment and you don't do too well with morphine." Feeling a tugging sensation at her shoulder, Niri gripped the stress ball tighter, rolling it around to find a piece her nails have yet to go through. "Almost done."

"Oh, please, take your time," she said sarcastically, regretting it as the needle hit a tender area. "OW! SHIT!"

"One more and there, all done," the medic said, putting a bandage on the wound and wrapped it up with fresh gauze. When he was finished, he held out two colored treats. "Because you were such a brave girl," he teased. Growling, Niri grabbed a red lollipop, ripping off the wrapping on it and stuck it in her mouth.

Standing, she tossed him the stress ball, grinning as he caught it and inspected the once squishy object. "This one was my favorite."

"Should have given me morphine or at least a valium!"

"You know what, you got to make it up to me." Watching her raise an eyebrow, he chuckled. "Say, I don't know, a kiss?" She glared at him, crossing her arms. "I won't discharge you without a kiss." She just rolled her eyes. "How bad can it be?"

"I don't know, with how much you hurt me, PRETTY BAD! I say we're about even. You hurt me and I squeezed the hell out of…whatever that thing was." He sighed and agreed, writing something down and waved his hand. "Next time, I expect a valium or something so we don't get in this mess again," Niri said, walking out of the ward. _Why is everyone hitting on me? _she thought, started to get creeped out.

-.-.-

Halfway asleep on her stomach, she felt something on her back, walking around. Though it was disturbing, she couldn't help but enjoy the mysterious massage. "A little lower, no to the right, yeah, right there." Sighing, she looked up over her shoulder, seeing two beady little eyes looking back at her. Giving a small scream, she rolled over and pointed her father's gun at whatever it was. "A bird?" _WHAT THE HELL IS A BIRD DOING IN MY BED? _Looking at it closely, she sighed. "Oh, a carrier. Well, hand it over," she said, putting her father's gun up. Holding out her hand, she waited as the bird put its webbed foot in her waiting palm.

Yawning, she untied the string that was attached to its leg, watching as an envelope fell. "Huh?" Letting go of the bird, she shoved it off her bed, listening to it squawk as it landed on its back on the floor. "What?" The bird pecked at her hand, causing it to bleed. "Ouch! Damn bird. Fine!" Giving it a coin from her money bag, she watched the sea gull fly off. "Damn rat with wings! Sea gulls, ugh, disgusting." Lying back down, she rubbed her eyes and rolled over onto her stomach.

Ripping open the envelope, she pulled out the letter, looking at the messy scrawl. "Axe!" Pulling herself in a sitting position, she looked around. All of the others in the bunker were still asleep and the only light that came into the giant room was from the window. Climbing out of her bed, she flinched as she felt the cold floor beneath her bare feet while she sprinted to the door, opening it up and walked out to the lighted hallway.

Reading it quickly, she felt a sense of joy, hope, and heartbroken. She missed him terribly. "I'm fine, three people? So he's actually done it. Rogue Town?" Thinking, she tried to remember where it was from the map she saw but gave up. "I'll find it in the morning." Returning to the letter, she grinned. This is just like him, excited to be where it all began. "Didn't I just say I was fine? Ugh. Academy is fine. Haven't done that yet, unless you count dumbass on the ship. Axe, I didn't do that to you, have I?" Waving it off, she read the rest of the letter. "I have no idea. Not too many friends but yeah. Of course I've been wanting to see you," she whispered, tears in her eyes. "I miss you, Axe."

"Pass with flying colors, psh." Wiping her eyes, she grinned. "He doesn't know about the tracking." Shaking her head, she felt tears welling up in her eyes once more. "Please write again." Finally reaching the end of the letter, she paused. "Sam?" _But, why did he put Sam? Oh! So no one catches him. Clever._ Reading the P.S., she felt like ripping up the paper and grinning at the same time. "Yeah, that's Axe for you."

_I wish I could write back but by the time the letter gets to him, he'd already be at a different location. Plus, what if the Marine catch him? I'd be putting him at risk. Oh Axe, I miss you, you great lug. Don't get in any trouble, baka, or I'll kill you myself._ Folding up the letter, she walked back to her bunk, hiding the letter under her pillow before falling asleep with a smile.

-.-.-

Sadie poked her friend in the side and grinned at her. "Alright, spill it, you're never in a good mood for too long. Something happened, didn't it? Well, is it a boy? Come on, Niri, tell us!"

Niri just giggled and shook her head. "I'm just in a good mood to be in a good mood. OH! That reminds me, I have to go the library. I need to look up something on a map," she said, standing up to leave the mess hall.

Tashigi stepped out in front of her friend, trying to stop the marksman. "But you didn't eat breakfast."

"Not hungry, too happy. Excuse me," Niri said, moving away from her friends, hurrying off to the library. Sadie and Tashigi looked at each other before following the marksman. Turning around, Niri grinned at them. "What?"

Sadie crossed her arms. "I'm a bit concerned. You've never been this happy before, so what changed?" Wrapping an arm around her friend's shoulders, she put a finger to her chin. "You got a boyfriend? No, you'd be blushing if that were the case. You found out you're going to be, wait, scratch that. I forgot. Um…aw hell, I don't know."

Niri just laughed, moving out of her friend's grip. "Can't I be happy just to be happy?"

The other two looked at each other then back at her. "No!"

Pouting, Niri trembled her lower lip. "You two are so mean to me." Unable to keep a straight face, she skipped off to the library, leaving her friends with very confused looks on their faces.

Tashigi grabbed Niri's arm and looked at the girl straight in her eyes. "She's not high on anything and we know she can't get drunk so there is only one logical explanation." She suddenly shook her friend. "WAKE UP!"

"Tash!" Niri steadied herself and looked at her friend. "I don't sleep walk. I'm just happy. Now, come on, I need to find out where Roguetown is."

"You mean where the Pirate King Gol D. Roger was executed?" Niri nodded her head hard, her black hair bouncing with every movement. "Why?"

Niri chewed on her lower lip. "I had a dream and it was somewhere in Roguetown so I want to know where it is," she lied, her happiness fading a little. "My dad told me about the town so I guess that I dreamt it so now I wanna know where it is now come on!" Pulling her friends, she walked into the library, going to the maps and records. "Roguetown, Roguetown, Roguetown," she murmured, looking at the booked maps before going through the scrolls.

Sadie just shook her head at Tashigi before the two of them sat down, watching their friend search. "You know, you could always try by looking up the Pirate King, or Gol D. Roger. That might help," Sadie suggested, watching as the marksman nodded, searching all over again.

Pulling down a record, Niri sat it on the table her friends were at and continued to look up the map she so desired. "Aha, there you are." Unrolling it on the table, she put her finger on Aran Island. "Okies, from here to wherever to…" Looking at every island, she finally pinpointed the famous town. "There you are." Thinking, she chewed on her lower lip. _Okay, he left the island just a few days before I did, giving him a good heads start. Wait, I'm thinking about this all wrong. Wind directions, ocean currents, plus, I don't know how long ago he gave the letter to the bird so…_

"Hey, what happened to your finger?" Sadie asked, looking at the bandaged digit.

"Cut it." Sitting down, she tried thinking of a more logical way of judging the distance from the time, only ending up giving her a headache. "Oh, I am so not a navigator." She held her head in her hands.

Tashigi laughed before looking at Sadie. "She's back to normal."

"Shut up, Tash." Grabbing the book that held the legend, Niri opened it, flipping through the pages to find anything. "Oh! 'Executed in the town center, converted into a gallows, Gol D. Roger started the Great Pirate Era, throwing a challenge to the world to find his legendary treasure. Ever since, pirates who approach the gallows have said that they still feel the great pirate and is laughing because no one has found his treasure yet.' Hold on, if pirates have said it, then they were executed right after giving that statement, right?"

Tashigi just shrugged. "I guess but then again, have you ever met a pirate?"

"Er…" Niri chewed on her bottom lip, deciding to keep her mouth shut about her "aunt and uncle". Waving her hand, she dismissed the question. "It seems wrong to kill a pirate, even when they are out to fulfill their dream."

"Have you lost your marbles?" Sadie whispered. "Honey, keep what you say quiet. We are the Marine, members of the World Government; we are nothing more than dogs. We can't afford to have feelings for pirates or else condemned to be pirate. Do you honestly want to end up in a jail then face the noose?" Looking away, Niri rolled up the map and shut the book, returning them to where she found them. "Niri, we have no right in deciding if killing pirates it right or wrong, we just follow orders."

Clenching her hands into fists, she grit her teeth. _If ordered to kill Axe, I'll gladly take the noose than to hurt my friend._


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter Twelve

Disclaimer: I don't own OP.

A/N: I'm still laughing about Axe. Go read kilnorc's review and you'll understand why.

Sitting against the door frame, Niri listened to the mindless chatter of the gaggle of girls that had been following her around. It wasn't until one of them burst into tears that she remembered why she was there and not shooting a few rounds at the range.

_FLASHBACK_

_Tapping the Den Den Mushi, Niri leaned against a wall. "Yes?"_

"_**Niri? Baron."**_

_Rolling her eyes, she grinned. "Yes, Baron, how may I help you?" It still bothered her that a snail was looking at her without blinking._

"_**Your ship sets sail two days from now. Ever since you somehow graduated in two months, you've been immediantely set to transfer here to Tristram." **__Tristram, where she wanted to go because Baron was there. Niri looked down at her feet and nodded. __**"Be ready by then, and Niri?"**_

"_Yes?"_

"_**Congradulations, private."**_

"_Thank you, sir." Tapping the snail twice, she heard it "hang up". "Creepy mollusk."_

_END FLASHBACK_

Having already said her goodbyes to those who cared, she waited patiently for Sadie and Tashigi to save her from the now wailing group. Eating her last parfait, she smiled. Prelude can have her dessert back. "Hey, do me a favor? Tell Prelude that I'll see her around?" One of the girls nodded, bursting into loud, hysterical sobs. _This is why my best friend is a guy._

"NIRI!" Looking up from the group, Niri let her eyes slide over to Sadie and Tashigi, both of them near tears. Slapping her forehead, she stood, only to get tackled to the ground. "I'm going to miss you, hun!" Sadie sobbed, burying her face in Niri's hair.

Patting her friend's back, Niri smiled weakly. "You'll see me again."

Sadie shook her head and sat up, pulling Niri with her. "No, I'm quitting. I'm going into entertainment." The now private looked at Sadie in the eye, pinching the bridge of her nose. "I know. It will keep me busy though, and out of trouble."

"And you, Tash?" Niri looked up at her friend as she adjusted her glasses. "What will you be doing?"

"I'm transferring to a different sector," Tashigi said, sniffling. "I just can't believe that you're leaving so soon! It feels like you just got here!"

Niri detangled herself from Sadie and stood, hugging Tashigi. "Tash, I've been here for two months and it's time for me to go." As Sadie stood, she smiled at them. "We'll always be friends, right?" The other two nodded. "No matter what, we have to remember that, always."

"Always."

"Always." The three of them held onto each other, crying silent tears.

A whistle was heard and the three of them walked to the docks, only pausing as Niri waved bye to the gaggle, listening to them break out into hysterical sobs. With her bag slung over her good shoulder, she gripped both of her friends' hands, ready to face another part of her life. _Are you watching daddy? Are you proud? _Boarding the dock, she waved bye to her friends, listening to the old woman's prediction. _"Murder and a bloody hand. Watch your actions or you may suffer." What did she mean by that? Crazy old bird. _"BYE GUYS! I LOVE YOU!" she shouted, watching as they waved back frantically. Gripping Axe's letter, she felt her heart tug as she left her friends. "I'll miss you guys."

-.-.-

Twirling her gun, Niri sat on the railing of the ship. It takes three weeks to get to Tristram, that is, if the wind was on their side and everything was running smoothly. Already, the ship's deck had holes in it as a warning to any who tried to pull anything with her. Lifting her face to the blowing wind, Niri sighed. Dressed in her bikini top and a pair of shorts, she stretched out on the railing, her eyes closed as she felt the sun's warmth cover her.

"Miss Zolaro?" Moving her head, she raised an eyebrow. "You have a call."

Rolling off the railing, she landed on her feet on the deck below her, walking in the room and tapped the Den Den Mushi, connecting the call from the snail upstairs to the one in front of her. "Niri speaking."

"**Niri, Baron."**

Grinning, she sat down and put her feet on the desk. "Yes, Baron, what is it?"

"**Good, you're on your way. Listen, Niri, I need you to get something while you're in the market place," **the Den Den Mushi said. Tilting her head, she made a noise. **"I need you to pick up some rum. I'm all out."**

Niri fell on her face before standing up to yell at the snail. "Baka drunk! Fine but don't expect me to get the expensive kind, unless you're willing to pay me triple the amount when I get there." Tapping the Den Den Mushi, she heard it "hang up" and close its eyes. "Now, where are we so I know how much time I have until then," she muttered to herself, grabbing a map and unrolled it on a table. "I wish I could read a map better than this, then again, I'm not a navigator." Chewing on her lip, she calculated how far she was from Tristram. _A few weeks maybe?_

Hearing a sound behind her, she turned her head and rolled up the map. "You're not supposed to be in here."

"Says you, cabin boy," she growled, glaring at the familiar face.

The cabin boy raised his hands before tucking them in his pockets. "How have you been, tiny…I take it back, jugs?" Niri aimed her gun and glared at him. "Well, what else am I supposed to say? Melons, knockers, what? You finally grew them, took you two months and they are no longer a handful but bigger!" he said, walking up close to her, putting his hands on her hips. "Put the gun away, babe, before you hurt yourself."

Glaring, she kneed him in the groin and as he doubled over, she grabbed the back of his head and slammed his face with her knee. "Let's chat, shall we?" Pushing him onto the floor, she stepped on his chest. "You look at me, I shoot you, you think about me, I shoot you, you even TOUCH me, I'll shoot you where it hurts the most. YOU GOT THAT?" Not even bothering with an answer, she kicked his ribs and walked out of the room, her hand itching to grab her father's gun and shoot his hand.

"You know, violence never solves anything," a guy said, leaning against the stairs once she came out of the room.

"No, but it's fun and keeps me preoccupied." Looking over at him, she smiled and tucked a piece of hair behind her ear. "How have you been, Chris?"

Watching the Marine shrug, she began to notice things that she had missed from two months ago. His dark hair fell over his dark brown eyes, almost as if they were reflecting his soul but his build, if anything, she would say that he was of medium build, but his hands, they were gentle. "I've been discharged. I'm no longer a Marine."

Shocked, Niri went to him. "Why? What happened?"

"I'm in too much love with the sea to be of much use." Looking out at the Blue, the waters reflected the sun through its waves, making it look like a giant sapphire that continues to move in the light. "I was born at sea, raised at sea and here I am, about to fulfill my life with the sea." Looking back at Niri, he put a hand on her shoulder. "Your eyes are the same shade as the Blue."

Turning red, Niri tucked her hair behind her ear again. "So, are you going to tell me what happened with your shoulder?"

Looking down, Niri put a hand to it and nodded. "I will but later, I have some serious sun to catch."

Chris just shrugged and tucked his hands into his pockets. "That's alright, I have a thief to catch anyways. They stole something precious to me."

Growing concerned, she looked up at him. "What did they steal, who was it, did you get a description, do you know who it was?"

"Yeah." Taking a bold step, he kissed her cheek.

As he walked away, Niri put a hand to her cheek and turned bright red. She found that she couldn't form words, couldn't form comprhendable thoughts, couldn't even feel right now. "Hey, jugs, you got an ass too!" Scratch that, she could still function. Grabbing her father's gun she chased after the cabin boy, shooting at his ankles while they ran around the ship.

-.-.-

Nervous about seeing Chris again, she chewed on her lower lip as she changed clothes. Wearing a skin tight shirt and bagging pants, she quickly ran a brush through her hair and walked down the hallways from her cabin to the galley, her heart beating so hard, she was scared that it might explode. _Daddy, make sure I don't do anything stupid during dinner. Please daddy, I'm counting on you._

Sitting down at a table, she became very interested in her hands while Chris sat next to her. "Is it later?"

Looking up, she felt herself turn red and looked down again. "I was shot at the Academy. Twice. One in the arm, another in my leg but my leg is all better now, I'm just waiting for my shoulder to heal so I can go through life properly."

"Poor baby." She looked over at him and could have sworn that her head exploded when he kissed her hurt shoulder. "Want me to tell you who the thief is?" She nodded, earning a laugh while doing so. Trying to clear her head off the haze, she rubbed her forehead. "Well, it's a girl and she's very clever. She took all of my friends' earnings in one night and had knocked them out cold!"

Trying to think, she licked her lips. "Sounds like she's tough."

Chris laughed, moving closer to her. "Just a bit. But then again, she has a softer side, it's just buried somewhere deep inside." Moving closer still, they were just a breath apart until the ship suddenly lurched to the port side, causing them to fall off the bench. "You okay?"

Niri nodded. "What'd we hit?" Shaking his head, Chris pulled her up and the two of them ran onto the deck, looking around. Water from the Blue splashed on them as the ship moved into a storm. As the captain gave orders, Niri climbed up the crow's nest to get a better look. Squinting her eyes, she hugged the mast, ready to climb in the next when the ship lurched again, her grip slipping from the slick wood.

Another wave hit the port side, forcing the marksman to lose her grip. Falling, she looked to where she would land. She could have sworn that she heard someone call out her name as she hit the water of the Blue. Surfacing, Niri forced her body to try and swim back to the ship so she wouldn't get deserted. Something grabbed her ankle and forced her to fall beneath the surface.

Wishing she could fire her father's gun underwater, she kicked at whatever held her down. A giant eyeball blinked at her, freezing the marksman before she panicked, struggling hard. Finally surfacing, not even bothering to take in a giant breath first, she opened her mouth and gave the most shrill scream she could manage.

As whatever held her down toyed with her, she started to struggle more, trying to get away. Without warning, whatever held her down went lax. Taking this as a gift, she swam as hard and as fast as she could back to the ship, catching the life rope that was thrown. Climbing on the side of the ship, she felt hands pull her back on the deck, letting her drop as she tried to catch her breath.

"Niri, are you okay?" she heard Chris ask, gripping her shoulders. Sobbing loudly, she gripped him tightly, her eyes clenched closed. "It's alright, you're back on the ship. It's alright."

-.-.-

Two days had passed since then, causing the girl to stay away from the railings of the ship. Huddled over a hot cup of coffee, she shivered, trying not to think of whatever it was that had her. She chewed on her lip, trying to think of whatever saved her, trying not to picture it being bigger than what she witnessed in the Blue. Gripping the cup tightly, she didn't feel the burn on her hands from the hot liquid.

_It couldn't have been a Sea King, I'm not scared of those, it…it…oh I can still see it! _Silent tears ran down her face. "I never want to see that thing again for as long as I live," she whispered under her breath.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter Thirteen

Disclaimer: I don't own OP.

A/N: Sorry that I haven't updated in a few days, I was busy chopping wood. Yes, this girl chops wood. After all, it's turning cold.

Now fifteen years old, (I skipped, couldn't think of anything), Niri stretched, yawning before rubbing an eye. "Baron, remind me again what we're doing?"

The commander, her late father's friend, just grinned at the private. "You're too young to understand," he said, waving a hand.

Clenching her fist, Niri glared at her old friend. "I'm old enough to know what the hell is going on! Honestly," she growled. She knew of him sneaking out, just as she knew of the others sneaking out to go wherever they have their pleasures. Being the only female in the base, she had to keep a close eye on the men. But of course, it was a lot better than having a rival glare at you every time you ate a dessert or a gaggle of overly feminine girls hanging around.

"Look, Baron, just give the girl some flowers, say something mushy and you'll win her over," she suggested, leaning against a wall.

Grinning, the commander looked at her. "Is that how the sea lover won you over?"

"IT WAS JUST ONE KISS!" Crossing her arms, she glared.

A scrawny Marine came in the room, panting from the running he just did. "Sir, you won't believe this!" Handing over a file to Baron, he saluted before putting his hands on his knees, trying to catch his breath.

Opening up the file, the Baron frowned. "Is this for real?" The Marine nodded, his hand on his ribcage now. "Private."

Saluting, the marksman looked at Baron. "Sir!"

"Gear up! There's a pirate ship at the dock. Seems like we have the Ferocious Dogs in our midsts."

_Ferocious Dogs? _"Sir!" Trying to remember what she could of the wanted posters she had seen in the Academy, she chewed on her bottom lip. "The whole crew is only worth 50,000 Beli."

Baron looked up from the file and grinned at her. "Then I'll leave them to you. Neutralize and arrest them. Have a squad go with you so they don't get the upper hand."

"Yes sir!" Saluting, she turned heel and walked to quickly find herself a group willing to go with her. _As if they would, they hate being led by a woman. _Slamming open the male bunker, she watched as a few fell out of their beds. "Pirates. Come on. MOVE IT!"

One grumbled as he rubbed the back of his head. "Yeah, yeah, we get it. Honestly, you'd think that it was White Beard or something."

"Just get your ass out of bed." Stomping, she felt the gun at her hip. "Dogs, huh?" Grinning, she could tell it would be fun.

-.-.-

"DAMMIT!" Ducking behind a tree, she heard the Dog pirates laugh, sounding so much like dogs. Two other Marine in her squad had moved away from their hiding spots, firing at the pirates. "Wound them, not kill them!" _I refuse to kill a pirate, even if I am faced with no other choice._ Turning back, she fired her father's gun again, clipping one of the pirates on the shoulder.

"Ya hear that boys, the little girl cares about us," one of the pirates cried out, quickly laughing. Growling, Niri shot him in the hand. "Damn bitch!"

"CALL ME THAT AGAIN AND I'LL MAKE SURE YOU GET PERMANETALLY DAMAGED!" A bullet whizzed by her head, causing her to duck back again. _They don't act like dogs, though they smell like some. Why are they-_

Without warning, she heard noises, ruffling nearby. "Huh?" A muzzle popped out of a bush nearby. "DOGS!" _Dammit!_

-.-.-

Baron relooked at the file again, only stopping at a piece of information he looked over. "Oh, oops." "_Known as the Dogs for the captain's trained pack of dogs." Maybe I should have read this file fully before sending her out for their arrest._

-.-.-

Knocking the captain of the pirates over the head, Niri glared at the lot of them. Shaking her head, she looked at her squad as they moved the pirates into a group. "Why the hell do you need dogs?" Said dogs, all muzzled and chained to a tree, whimpered and cringed.

The captain, mumbling about the knot forming on his head, glared up at the private. "The dogs are the ones who figure out where the gold is. They make us rich!" he cried out, laughing as he did so. Getting knocked over the head again, he was forced up. "You wouldn't understand, girl! You don't know pirates."

Pulling on a chain, she pulled him and his crew to the base. "Come on," she growled, walking ahead of them. _Don't know pirates, my ass! Then again, I'm supposed to protect Axe so I can't say much. I hope you know what I go through for you, baka!_

"Hey, private. Look, I know you're squad leader for now but let me ask you this, WHY THE HELL IS A PRIVATE ORDERING US AROUND?" one of the Marine said, crossing his arms. "This is sexist. Men aren't ordered around by women, it's the other way around."

Niri stopped, turning and glaring darkly at the offending Marine. "Get over it, besides, there are superior officers who are women so SHUT UP AND DO YOUR JOB!" _Everyone's a critic. _Rolling her shoulder, she continued on her way, only stopping to have the pirates processed.

"Girl, set us free. They'll hang us!" the DOG captain said, his eyes pleading. "Please, spare my crew, take me instead."

Chewing on her lower lip, she ignored him, trying to get his words out of her head. Walking them to a cell, she and the rest of the squad threw them in, writing down all of their names to be taken off the wanted list. "A ship will come and get them in a few days to the Marine prison island. Good work, private," a commander said, the two of them saluting each other. "Ferocious Dogs, a group of pirates who use dogs as a means of fighting and pillaging. The canines?"

A Marine answered him. "They're locked away in a separate cell."

"They are pirates as well. They'll be put down along with their crew."

Niri looked up at the commanding officier. "But they're just animals. They didn't chose this life!"

"Are you defending these pirates? Defending them could lead you to face the noose."

Lowering her head, she closed her eyes. "No sir, I just think it's wrong to kill animals just because they were forced to do something cruel." (Hence why I'm against animal fights) Looking back up at him, she saluted. "It was just my opinion, sir."

"Then take your opinion and get lost. Dismissed."

-.-.-

"Baron, if I defend Axe, I face the noose but would he be saved?"

"No." Putting a hand on her shoulder, he looked at the young girl. "It would be wise to forget about him."

Backing away, she glared at her father's friend. "How could you say that? After everything we've gone through, you're willing to forget about him and when he's finally caught, what then? Baron, you and my father promised Dart and Anny safety back on Aran so don't you dare get hypocritical with me!"

"Niri, he's a pirate. He has been for a year now; you know this to be true. Listen to your training as a Marine and treat him as such."

"I listen to my heart before I listen to my teachings. Baron, he and I made a promise and I will never back down on it," she snapped, her hand closing into a tight fist.

His eyes turned cold. "Private, I give you an order: if you ever come across the pirate called Axe, you are to lock him up and send him over to the World Government, is that clear?"

"Crystal," she hissed, turning away from the Baron. _Daddy, would you have turned cruel like Baron?_ Putting her hand on her gun, her thoughts turned from her friends to the wallowing pirates downstairs._ Axe, knowing you, you'd refuse safety just to see your crew be set free. I know you'd act just like that captain._

Looking into the bay from one of the windows in the base, she sighed. In three days the pirates would be shipped off and then who knows how long it will be before they wait for their execution. She chewed on her lower lip, her hand on her father's gun. "I'll never hunt you down, Axe. You're my best friend. Stay away, don't ever come looking for me."

A/N: Filler chapter. Bleh.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter Fourteen

Disclaimer: I don't own OP.

A/N: This chapter is another filler, flashbacks. Why? Because it's the week of Thanksgiving and I have a lot of things to do during this week, like, oh I don't know, COOK THE DAMN 25 LBS TURKEY! You guys had better be glad I'm even updating this week. –sighs- Since I'm getting lack of reviews for my newer fics, this being one of them, I'm throwing out my challenge again. It goes into affect now. I want ten reviews for this chapter, no repeat reviewers, or I won't update. BB, I'm counting on you to spread the word.

Sitting in the window, rereading the crinkled letter, Niri smiled. "Axe." _Do you remember us playing? I nearly always won, only because I hid behind daddy. You used to get so mad._

_FLASHBACK_

"_BAKA!" Five year old Niri ran after five year old Axe, carrying a large stick to hit him with it. "THAT WAS MY ONLY DOLL!"_

_Stopping, Axe looked over at her and grinned. "Dolls are for girls."_

"_I am a girl!" she screamed, coming close._

_Sticking out his tongue and running like hell, he shouted back. "NO YOU'RE NOT! YOU'RE NOTHING BUT A SISSY!"_

_As the two weaved through the townspeople of Aran Island, Anny and Dart heard their son as he shouted for everyone to move. _(Giving Zolaro daddy a name, it's an apocalypse!!!) _"Giles, are you ever going to tame that girl of yours?" As he, his wife and his friend sat outside, they waited for their children to come running up to them._

"_Only when you teach your son some manners." His daughter, finally hitting Axe, cried out with joy before running like hell the other way. "Sometimes I wish she wouldn't rough house."_

_Dart just laughed as Axe tackled Niri, the two of them pulling at each other's faces. "Oh, come on, it toughens them up, let them play."_

"_Ow, ow, ow, OW! DADDY!"_

_Giles sighed. "It's your turn," he said to Dart, getting another drink._

"_Oh no," Dart started, waving his hands. "She called for you."_

"_HEY! DON'T BITE ME! CHEATER!"_

_The two fathers laughed as Anny finally got sick of it. "AXE! NIRI! KNOCK IT OFF!"_

_The two finally split apart, each with dirt and bruises. Axe began to favor his arm as teeth marked welts started to rise on his skin. "Cheater."_

"_Wuss."_

"_SISSY!" Stomping on her friend's foot, Niri dashed to her father, safely hiding behind him. "Niri next time I catch you, I'm going to give you a noogie!" Axe said, hoping on one foot._

"_I'll give you a wedgie if you do!" she shouted at him, looking around her father._

_Dart, hitting his son over the head, looked down at the boy. "What did you do this time?"_

"_I didn't do anything! She's the one chasing me with the stick!"_

"_YOU BROKE MY DOLL!"_

"_DOLLS ARE FOR SISSIES!"_

_END FLASHBACK_

_You know, I never did get another doll, thanks to you, you great baka. I got even though,_ she thought, ginning as she refolded the letter.

_FLASHBACK_

_A month later, Niri sneaked into Axe's room while he was sleeping. She had told Dart and Anny that she was going to drag him out of bed and out of wanting to watch the amusement, they let her. After gathering all of her mother's makeup and hair ties, she sat on his bed and very carefully applied the makeup, though of course, it was all dark colors and really messy. Giggling, she then gathered parts of his unruly hair and began tying them off into sloppy pigtails, all of them with a bow. Dart had to go to another room to finally crack up as Anny chided the girl, not really having an effect because she too had a smile on._

_Waiting in their tree house, Niri could hear the other children laugh at Axe as he walked through the town, trying to find his friend. "Niri! You up there?"_

_Looking down, she grinned. "Yes. Who are you?"_

"_What do you mean, who are you? It's me, Axe!"_

_Trying hard not to laugh, she bit her lower lip. "Sorry ma'am, the only Axe I know isn't here. I think he's still in bed madam."_

"_Madam? What are you talking about?" Finally cracking up, she threw him down a reflective piece of metal. Looking into it, his eyes bulged before looking back up at her. "I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!"_

_Laughing as she jumped out of the tree, she rushed back at her house, feeling Axe's fingers try to catch the tip of her hair. "DADDY!"_

_END FLASHBACK_

"I was a little demon child. I'm still surprised I'm alive after I pulled that stunt. But we did have fun together, when we weren't pulling pranks."

_FLASHBACK_

"_I'm the captain of this ship and I say that there will no longer be any more vegetables, only meat!"_

"_What about fruit?"_

"_Fruit too, I guess."_

"_YAY!"_

_Seven years old, Axe and Niri played with a replica of a pirate ship in a creek. "And no more bed time or having to do chores!"_

"_YAY!" Niri grinned, her tongue wiggling a loose tooth. "OH! Look what I can do!" Wiggling her tooth, she whistled, making the loose tooth vibrate. "It feels funny but I can whistle now!"_

_Laughing, Axe shook his head. "That's nothing. This one time, all of my teeth fell out and it took me all night to find them and put them back in."_

"_Nah-uh."_

"_Yeah-huh. You can go ask dad," he said proudly, hoping that she wouldn't catch him lying._

_Wiggling the tooth with her thumb now, she sighed. "Well, I still say there should be a canon here," she said, turning back to the ship and pointing to the crow's nest._

"_Baka, canons can't go there. They have to go in the gallows. A lookout or a marksman can only be up there." Grinning, he stood up. "We can go and get candy from all of the other ships and make port whenever!"_

_Standing up as well, the two of them forgot about the tiny ship. "And we can fight other pirates and take their treasure."_

"_And eat meat!" Laughing, he looked around. "Where's the ship?"_

"_You're a bad captain, losing the ship like that."_

"_I'm not a bad captain. You're the one that was supposed to hold it!"_

"_Nah-uh!" Hearing wood crash and split, the two of them looked down stream at the now wooden pile, trapped in the rugged rocks. "Oh no."_

"_I know, it's ruined."_

"_No, I lost my tooth and I can't find it!" Niri cried out, started to go into tears. "My daddy was going to get me some ice cream for my tooth."_

_Wailing, she ran back home, leaving Axe there as he gathered up the broken pieces._

_-.-.-_

_Giles Zolaro held his daughter close, trying to calm her down. "Sweetie, we can still go get you some ice cream, you don't need to hand me your tooth." Looking at Dart, he pleaded for some help but the other man just shrugged._

"_No! You said if I gave you the tooth, you would take me and now I can't go," she sobbed hysterically. Hearing the bell of the tavern ring, she looked up, seeing a serious Axe, pliers in one hand, his other hand closed. Holding out her hand, he opened it up. "My tooth!" Grabbing the tooth, she smiled and hugged Axe tightly. "Thank you for finding my tooth." He just nodded._

_Dart raised an eyebrow at his son, putting two and two together. "Well, since your tooth is found, you and your father can go get ice cream now," he said to Niri, ruffling her hair before looking at his son. "You can go too, since you're the one who found it." Grinning, he pulled his son to the side, giving him a tissue, grabbing the pliers out of his hands. "That was a reckless stunt, don't do that again. Now go enjoy your ice cream or I'll tell your mother what happened." His son nodded and joined his friend, trying to soak up as much blood from his gapped smile._

"_Axe, you're missing a tooth too!"_

_END FLASHBACK_

_Baka. We found my real tooth later, so you really didn't have to pull one of yours out. _Grinning, Niri looked up at the moon. "Be thankful you didn't rip out the root as well or you'd be forever snaggle toothed." Laughing, she walked back to her room, shaking her head. "You were looking out for me then as you're looking out for me now. Axe, you really are one of a kind."

A/N: Remember, TEN REVIEWS.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter Fifteen

Disclaimer: I don't own OP.

A/N: Alright, five is enough but at least I know that this fic is being read. I didn't do this to get famous or anything like that. I'm modest and to be honest, this all about feedback. I need feedback to know if I should continue or not, that's why I threw the challenge. But thank you guys for reviewing. You're the best. As for posting, I still have one more day before I have to do anything big, lucky you.

How did she get into this mess? Chained up, a bloody Niri grinned at the situation, spitting out the rest of the blood that lingered in her mouth.

_FLASHBACK_

_Popping her knuckles loudly, she sighed as she and the other officers sat through a meeting with the commanding officer. The speaker paused, giving her a dirty look before continuing. "These pirates are like none we have ever seen before."_

"_How are they ruthless? Pirates are nothing but lawless barbarians who enjoy hurting others for their own need." Niri had to bite her tongue to stay quiet. "So what is about these that makes them so different?"_

_The speaker nodded. "The whole crew is filled with Devil Fruit users and the most dangerous of them all is their captain, Andariel. No one knows what her ability is, save for her crew. All that we know is that she never leaves a victim alive to tell the tale."_

"_Then how do we know she's dangerous?"_

_Shaking his head, the commanding officer looked back at the group of Marine. "All we know if that her victims are always poisoned. Now, we need to make sure that these pirates never get close to the city or these innocent people will die. I want squads at these posts," he said, pointing on a map on the wall. "Remember, if you see one of these pirates, shoot on sight. Dismissed."_

_-.-.-_

"_Shoot on sight. Did you hear that, Niri? That means killing them. But oh no, that goes against the little girl's morals of killing another person. Whatever shall she do?"_

_Sick and tired of being teased, Niri grabbed her father's gun from her side and knocked him over the head with it. "You say one more thing about me and I'll rip your tongue out of your mouth." Continuing on her way, she could have sworn she heard a familiar laughter in her ear. Shaking her head, she passed by many crowds of people as they did their shopping. Though she liked it at Tristram, it wasn't as fun as the Academy or at Aran. At both places she could kick back and hang out but here, it was purely business and it was starting to wear on her._

_Finally past the outskirts of town, she and two other Marines posted a small camp like area. With familiar hand signs, the three of them made a small plan and began scouting the area. Making sure there was no one around, Niri began to climb a tree, wincing as her skirt ripped at the seams. Continuing up, she looked around, her scoped pistol in her hand in case something came near._

_For days, every squad was like this, only going back to the base for an update or to take a shower. Still, everyday Niri was in her tree, keeping an eye open for anything._

_-.-.-_

_Waking up suddenly, Niri shot straight up and looked around, her vision going black from how fast oxygen went to her head. _(I hate it when that happens, makes me feel helpless) _Gun shots were heard from a distance and with how many it was, she had a feeling that they were getting nearer. Not even bothering to put on her shoes, she grabbed her father's pistol and set off to figure out what the noise was._

"_I see you," a voice hissed. Looking around, the private checked her gun and began to look around, trying to hear anything out of the ordinary. Instead, all she heard was silence. Silence was never a good thing. Even in the dark, she could hear the nightly bugs and they were an alert system. Not even hearing those, she knew she was in danger._

_Gritting her teeth, Niri held up her gun, ready to shoot. "Come out, pirate, lest you be a coward!"_

"_Foolish girl, never call a pirate a coward." With that, two spider like legs pinned her down, causing the marksman to drop her gun. "Little girls like you shouldn't play with toys."_

_Looking up, Niri gasped at what she had just seen. With a spider for a body, a woman had her arms crossed, her hips down all spider. "Scared?"_

"_Devil Fruit user. Arach Arach no Mi: model spider."_

"_Clever." With her spinnerets, the woman tied her up, pinning her to a tree. "Now, be a good little girl and stay here while I go get my crew. I'm sure they'd be delighted to have you."_

_Trying to free herself, Niri grinned. "Do you know how many spiders I've squished? You're nothing but a smear on my boot, you ugly, creepy crawly!" The spider woman didn't like that, picking up the tied up Marine and slamming her against a tree. Niri felt her back crack, heard a rib threaten to break as she spat up blood. "Is that all you can do, huh, leggy?"_

_The spider hybrid grabbed the girl with the longest of her eight legs and held the private high. Blinking her eight eyes, she smiled, fangs melding themselves with her teeth. "How about I bite you and while my poison swims through your pathetic human body, I will just have to sit back and wait until you die so I can eat you."_

"_Gross." Being dropped again, Niri somehow moved herself to be in a sitting position as the spider hybrid tied her to the tree. "Hasn't anyone ever told you not to play with your food?"_

_Laughing, the woman looked down at her, fangs dripping with venom. "Keep talking and I will bite you."_

_As the spider woman started walking away, Niri could see that though she had many legs, they were all synchronized and barely leaving a mark on the dusty ground. "Andariel, Mistress Spider, no wonder you're so deadly."_

_END FLASHBACK_

Growling, Niri tried to shimmy her way out of the silken wrapping she was in before spying her father's gun. Stretching her legs out, she bit her tongue trying to wrap her toes around the tip of the barrel. "C'mon, c'mon, just a little bit closer. Almost there." Finally, she gripped the gun with her toes, pulling her leg back in, tucking it behind her, (Um…like how a lady sits when wearing a skirt, kind of on her hip with her heels close to her butt, yeah, like that), as she tried to feel around with her fingers.

Hearing a lot of the Marines in trouble, she nearly screamed in exasperation as she kept feeling the gun with her fingertips but not actually grabbing it. _This is probably the only time I'll say this but, I think I may need help._

A/N: I guess my challenge was pretty stupid but still, I love reading feedbacks. Some crack me up while others prove to be very useful in upcoming chapters. Please forgive me.


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter Sixteen

Disclaimer: I don't own OP.

A/N: -grabs BB and shakes him- THIS HAS LESS CHAPTERS THAN ZOMBIES! BUT MORE WORDS! AH! This may become my longest fic. 0.o

The Baron, upset at his and Niri's conversation a few days ago, began to worry about his charge. "Giles would haunt me if he knew what I said and if I got his little girl in danger." Sighing, he looked over at a picture of the group. Dart and Anny holding each other as Giles held his wife in his arms, the little gremlins dirty each with an arm around each other's heads with two wide grins. Baron, in the middle of the couples, behind the dirty children, had his arms crossed, smile on his face. A smile came to his face as he remembered that day.

_FLASHBACK_

"_Daddy, Axe pushed me in the mud."_

"_Did not."_

"_Did so."_

"_Did not."_

"_Did so."_

_Moving away from the squabbling children, Giles shook his head. "They fight more than anyone I've ever seen."_

_His wife shook her head, winking at Anny. "No, you and Dart fight more than those two. At least those two will grow out of it. You two, however, will never grow up."_

_Laughing, the captain of the Marines nodded. "Yes, yes, I know, but honey, you don't need to be so mean."_

_Anny just smiled as Dart came walking up, holding a small camera in his hand. "The local photographer agreed to let us borrow this for a while." Tossing it to Baron, he laughed at the commander. "Come on, soldier boy, you know more about this than any of us do, fix it up so we can take some pictures."_

_Baron, playing with the camera for a bit, looked up at his friends. "How about one giant picture, with all of us in it?"_

_Niri ran up to her father, about to give him a hug. "Oh no, you're filthy. You are going to need scrubbed before you step one foot inside my house," her mother said, stopping the girl short by grabbing the only clean spot on the girl's shirt._

_Setting up the camera, Baron looked at everyone. "Alright, everyone get ready." Setting the timer on it, he ran to stand, watching the families scramble to go to where he is. "Say cheese."_

"_CHEESE!"_

_END FLASHBACK_

"I've been away from home for too long. Giles, Niri, everyone, forgive me." Noticing that the scout was late, something began to gnaw at him, a sense he called it. Grabbing his belt, he strapped in his sword and a gun before leaving his office. He was going to check up on the scouts to see what the situation was.

-.-.-

Biting some of her victims, Andariel watched as they wriggled and writhed in pain, curling up to somehow stop the painful poison from spreading throughout their bodies. Laughing, she curled a hand on one of the Marine's jaw.

"How does it feel? Burning, like a fire has been lit in you veins or is it worse, like your blood is solidifying into a gooey mess, forcing that feeble heart of yours to pump harder? Everyone always has a different opinion for the pain, yet they all agree on one thing, it kills you in the end," she said, smelling death quickly approach him. "Once you die, your insides with liquefy and then I'll drain you dry. After all, I haven't feed in a few days." Laughing, she tied them up with her sticky webbing, tossing them into a giant web as they cried out in fear and pain.

"My crew will be here soon and when they do get here, this foolish place will feel fear and death."

-.-.-

Closer and closer still, Niri stretched fingers trying to grab her gun. "Almost there, come on." A finger slipped inside the barrel, getting caught. Curling her fingers, she gripped the gun, freed the captured digit and began adjusting. Moving away from the pointed gun as far away as she could, she shot up slicing through the silken wrapping. Finally free, she began to fling the sticky mess everywhere trying to get over the feeling of having a disgusting thing on her.

Hearing her fellow Marine scream, she scrambled to her feet, wincing as rocks dug in. Running through the brush, listening closely to any other screams, she grabbed the neckerchief from her uniform, slipped it over her head and tying it quickly. Stopping suddenly, her toes bleeding as they skid the rocky terrain, Niri looked up at two trees, giant silken cocoon like things hanging in between. "What in the Blue…?" Angling herself, she caught the moon's gaze to shimmer off of the giant web. "Oh no." Looking all around, she could tell that there were more webs, barely visible by moon light.

Growling, she bent down at the Marine's thing that lay nearby. Andariel had captured these poor fools while they were still at camp. "Rum?" Looking up at the cocoons again, she shook her head. "No drinking on the job." Trying the canteen to her belt, she gathered their fallen weapons and ammo. "Sorry boys."

-.-.-

Passing by many people on the streets, Baron saw that they were all looking out the forest. Stopping a blonde girl in a white lab coat, he looked at her. (Give you two guesses on who she is) "What happened?"

The blonde blinked up at him before pointing at the trees. "There were screams and gunfire," she said, looking back at the Marine commander.

Baron nodded before parting his way through the crowds again, trying to push his way into the forest. "Get back inside your homes, people, get back!" Finally away from the city, he hurried through the brush, loading up his gun.

Suddenly, like a bolt of lightning, a stinger came crashing down in front of him, causing the commander to fall onto his back.

"A blue and white. There seems to be a lot of those around here," s hissing voice said in the darkness before a man came stepping out of the brush. A tall man with slick black hair glared down at Baron with deep black eyes. Skin seemed to melt itself into shell as his arms ended in pinchers but it was his tail, at least twice as tall as he was, curled itself up, the stinger dripping poison. "Aw, did you fall down go boom?"

Shooting at the Devil Fruit user, Baron stood back up at the stinger came flying at him again. "No point in fighting back, bluey. I ate the Arach Arach no Mi: model scorpion. I'll kill you were you stand, old man."

"I'd like to see you try, insect."

"I am not an insect, I'm an arachnid; get your animals right!" the scorpion man shouted, his anger getting the best of him as his tail lashed out again to sting wherever Baron was hiding.

-.-.-

Draining a Marine that she had caught earlier, Andariel grinned as the now withered corpse fell from her grip. "Marine blood always tasted so good. I wonder if my little snack will taste just as good," she said, her fangs dripping with blood and venom as she laughed in the dead of night.

A/N: -binks- Okies. Um…yeah. There's the chap. Review.


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter Seventeen

Disclaimer: I don't own OP.

A/N: For those who celebrate this holiday, Happy Thanksgiving, but for those who don't, well, happy fourth Thursday in the month of November.

Baron rolled out of the way as the tail came lashing out again and again. Unsheathing his sword, Baron stood, holding the weapon in front of him. "Bug."

The scorpion man grew more and more upset with every insult the Marine threw at him. "I'd watch what you say, bluey. I'll strike you where you stand if you say another insult to me."

Grinning, the Baron stood ready for an attack. "You're nothing but a freak." The tail lashed out again, only to be blocked by the commander's sword. _It seems like his anger controls his body more and more and when that happens, he losses focus. He's slowing down._

"Foolish, man, how little you know about Devil Fruit users," the scorpion man said, rushing to Baron, his tail knocking the sword out of his grip. Grabbing the commander by the shoulders, the tip of his tail barely centimeters from the older man's neck. "Are you scared?"

"You wish." Gripping his gun, Baron pulled back the hammer and shot the scorpion in the chest. As the Devil Fruit user screamed and wriggled with pain, he released the commander's arms and fell to the ground, trying to get the bullet out of his chest. "Seastone. You have two options, surrender and I'll remove the bullet so you can be sent to jail or continue to fight me and die."

"Go to hell."

Sighing, Baron knelt and looked at the pain in the arachnid's eyes. "Yes well, you'll be there before me." Standing, he left the screaming pirate, determined to find his charge. (Yeah, I'm not so good when it comes to sword fights…)

-.-.-

Being careful of where she stepped, Niri looked above her, using the moon as her tool. Webbing was so fine and very hard to see so one wrong step and she could find herself covered in webbing. Her skin crawled at the thought stopping short before stepping. Kneeling, she peered at the ground, trying to get whatever flashed at her.

"A trap very similar to trip wire. That bitch."

"Now, that wasn't nice to say." Turning around, Niri screamed as she fell, her grip tightening on the trigger. "Going to shoot me? Most Devil Fruit users are immune to bullets."

Grinning, Niri's eyes flashed. "Oh I know but are you immune to them, seeing as you're an eight legged freak and all."

Andariel growled, using one of her many legs to kick Niri away from her, watching the girl slam into a tree. "I'd watch what you say, prey."

Struggling to stand up, the sharpshooter spat out the blood that pooled in her mouth. "You now, I'm getting really sick and tired of that." Firing rounds at the spider hybrid, Niri's fingers fiddled with the rum canteen. When Andariel came close enough, Niri sprayed her with the rum, catching the pirate captain in the eyes.

Screaming in pain, Andariel rubbed at her eyes, trying to clear them of the alcohol. She hissed, using her sense of smell to find the wounded private. "I will eat you, little girl."

Grinning at her accomplishment, Niri backed off from the arachnid. "You'd have to catch me first!"

Screaming, the spider hybrid arched her back, howling loudly. A screaming sound answered, causing Niri to turn her head at the noise. _There are more?_ Looking back at Andariel, she shot at the Devil Fruit user. "How many are in your crew exactly?"

Laughing, Andariel snapped her jaws in the air, venom drooling from her mouth. "Twenty. Face it girl, you and your little friends won't live to see us wreak havoc on the innocent civilians." Glaring, Niri grit her teeth. "We win, Marine."

Pulling back the hammer on her father's gun, Niri aimed at Andariel. "I swore to never kill a pirate but now, I see that I have to. I will not allow those who hurt the innocent to live." Narrowing her eyes, she pulled the trigger. "Die."

As the bullet left the barrel, it flew through the air, catching the spider woman in her neck. As the pain from the seastone made the spider hybrid scream and cry out in pain, it didn't stop her from using her many legs to kick at the private, sending her flying again.

Landing hard, the private cried out before glaring at the pirate captain. "I am getting sick and tired of that!" The spider hybrid laughed, though still in so much pain. "Why aren't you dead yet?" she snarled, standing up, drawing near the Devil Fruit user. Aiming her gun, she fired many rounds into Andariel's body, watching the woman scream from the pain.

As the gun clicked from being empty, the private glared at the blind woman. "You still don't get it. I refuse to die!" Lowering her empty gun, Niri sighed. "I refuse to die by the hand of a little girl! I am Andariel, Mistress Spider!" Her long spider legs curling up, Andariel slumped down, now face to face with Niri. "I will kill you," she hissed out before the rest of her body curled up. Drawing one last breath, the pirate captain died. Like most spiders, she was on her back with her legs curled up to her abdomen.

_I killed someone…_ Niri thought, shaking as she fell to her knees. A twig snapped behind her, causing the girl to jump. Reeling around, she held up her gun, even though it was empty. _More bug pirates?_ A large mass rose in the night air before falling just inches away from her toes, blood oozing from its back. It took three seconds to process the image before screaming. A giant centipede now lay dead before her.

A hand closed over her mouth, muffling out the screams. "Niri, calm down, it's me," a familiar voice said. Turning her head, Niri gripped the front of her mentor's uniform, crying into his chest. "It's alright." Baron, rubbing the private's back, looked over at Andariel, shaking his head. "Did you get hurt?" he asked, drawing the girl back, giving her a look over. Though dirty, the female Marine shook her head. "Come on, I'll have someone process these two and the other dead pirates. Head back to base and fill out a report on what happened."

Niri shook her head. "I killed her. I killed someone." Looking back at the giant insect, she had to bite back a scream. "Are they all dead?"

"Yes, every single one of them. Insector Pirates. They and their fruits are no longer in this world and good riddance."

"Baron, I killed someone," Niri muttered again.

Shaking the girl, he looked in her eyes. "It was either her or you. Don't fret over this. As a Marine, it's your job to make the world safe and you've fulfilled part of that mission."

-.-.-

Gripping her father's gun and her letter from Axe, Niri looked out a window to the rising dawn as it filled the sky with red and orange, killing the blue and black night. With just bruised ribs and a few cuts, she was one of the lucky ones in the night. Out of the sixty that was sent on the mission, only fifteen came back alive and at dawn, two more died from their wounds. Sniffling, the marksman wiped her eyes, looking at the red dawn.

A/N: Meh, I'm not so good with fight scenes but I do try my hardest. I think it's because I do better at melee against melee or weapon against weapon, not the two mixing. I did try though. Happy Thanksgiving again, or, Happy Thursday.


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter Eighteen

Disclaimer: I don't own OP.

A/N: I'm stuffed! HUGE meal. –yawns- I'll put this up then I'm hitting the sack, I need to sleep this off. Side note: woot, over 400 hits.

"You alright?"

"I'm fine."

"You sure?"

"I said I'm fine."

"Are you positive?"

"Yes."

"Are you not telling the truth?"

"What?"

"Well, think about it, if you say no, then you're admitting that you're not telling the truth but if you say yes then you admitted again."

"I'm fine!"

"Are you-"

"You ask me how I am again, or anything that relates to it, I will shoot you where you stand."

Mitch, cabin boy of the ship Niri was on, twice, looked over at her. The ship had hit rocks on their way to Tristram and all had to abandon ship. Sighing loudly, he ran his hand through his curly hair, looking away for a moment. "You know, jug-" He stopped, feeling the barrel of a gun sliding itself up his thigh. Let's try that again. "You know, _Niri_," the gun slid away. "You can talk to me about this."

"Oh yeah, let the trained killer talk to a pig of a cabin boy," she said sarcastically. "In the academy, I was trained to kill anyone that might pose as a threat to my safety and to the safety of others. I was prepared to kill but after seeing Andariel die, I didn't think that I'd be so…blood thirsty?"

Blue eyes looked at blue. "What do you mean?"

Twirling her father's gun, Niri looked up. "I actually wanted her to die, to see her in pain. I wanted the satisfaction of killing a pirate by myself. But after she died, all I could think about was the act itself. I killed someone. I took a life without even a second thought."

Nudging her shoulder with his, he grinned. "Come on, it's not all bad, is it?"

"You don't get it." Gripping her gun, she chewed on her lower lip. "I never killed anything in my life, well, besides a few bugs that were biting me and a few fish."

Putting his hand on her shoulder, Mitch rubbed her scar with his thumb. "You're a Marine. It's your job to kill those who would do harm to you and the civilians of the world. You have to take down pirates and Andariel was a pirate, right?" She nodded, looking over at him. "Well, think of it like this: you did a job that no one else could do."

Nodding, the private smiled faintly. "I suppose so." Looking back over at him, she raised an eyebrow. "Now, explain to me why you're here again?"

"Well, you see, the ship-"

"No, that's not what I meant. I meant why are you here?" she asked, pointing to the ground.

Shrugging, Mitch ran a hand through his curls again. "I guess I missed you."

Scoffing, she hit his head with the butt of her gun. "You didn't miss me, you missed looking at me." As the cabin boy laughed, she nodded. "Told you so. Listen, Mitch, you're a chauvinistic pig who only knows how to tease women about their looks."

"I don't tease, I compliment. After all, I told you that you have a nice rack and ass and-" the barrel of the gun now pointed to his heart. "HEY! I'm telling the truth here!"

"You say diddly-squat about my body again, I'll feed you to a Sea King." She removed her gun and set it next to her. Mitch laughed, nodding along. "Do you know what I really hate?"

"Men?"

"I'm straight so how can I hate men?" she asked, smacking the back of his head. "I hate seers."

"Seers? OH! Crazy old ladies that mutter and mumble to themselves."

Smacking the back of his head again, Niri shook her head. "Shut up and listen. When I first hit the Academy, I ran into a seer. She said who I was and then said that I would know pain and suffering."

"And you think she was talking about this?"

"Shut up, there's more." Thinking back, Niri started again. "Then, when my friends and I snuck out to a nightclub, I saw her again. She said 'death of a friend at sixteen, in darkness for three years, you've already gone too far.' I just dismissed it but now I'm scared to turn sixteen." _I'm scared it might be Axe. _"'Murder and a bloody hand.' I don't get it. They speak in riddles and it's driving me insane."

"Hold on, I think I understand," Mitch said, waving his hand. "Someone will die at sixteen, you'll know the killer and you'll be mourning for three years." His head was smacked again. "HEY!"

"Stupid. I have to watch my actions, supposedly." Waving it off, she sighed. "Maybe I should go see a seer."

The cabin boy shrugged. "Maybe you're supposed to, who knows." Looking at her as she stood up, he raised an eyebrow. "What are you doing?"

"Going to ask the Baron for a personal day." Winking at the cabin boy, she smirked. "I'll just say I have female problems." Laughing at the grossed out pervert, she walked away, popping her knuckles as she did so. "I really have to break this habit."

-.-.-

Dressed in a tank top and a pair of jeans, Niri walked through one of the several markets. _Thank whoever loves me that Baron let me take this day off._ Passing by a vender selling dates, she was momentarily deaf as he yelled about their freshness. _Ugh, markets. Okies, if I was a crazy old lady on the verge of getting several cats, where would I be?_

Someone grabbed her elbow. Looking at the person, Niri arched an eyebrow. "Can I help you?" The woman holding her elbow just smiled.

"I was about to ask you the same thing, Niri Zolaro," she said in a light voice. Niri's eyes went wide before she chewed on her lip. "Yes, I'm a seer. You were about to ask." Niri just nodded. "There is an answer to your questions but you're too far gone to be saved. I'm sorry, but I can't tell you."

"Hold on, I think that I deserve to know why not."

The seer sighed. "To know now would only lead you into a different path, a path that you'll forever regret."

"Why am I on this path?" The woman just smiled. "Is it because of my actions?" The smile broadened as the woman let go, slipping away in the crowd. "Hey, wait!"

The wind tickled itself around her ear, whispering the seer's last words. _Don't fear this path…_

A/N: Alright, I'm going to bed. –slams head on keyboard and sleeps- nbhvyuuhjhmgvbghy


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter Nineteen

Disclaimer: Don't own OP.

A/N: -wakes up with key impressions on forehead- Huh? –rubs eyes, very chibi like- What day is it? –looks on bed and screams loudly before running off to close out everything to install- I HAVE LEFT 4 DEAD!

Ba-ba sh, ba-ba sh, ba-ba sh. A bright red ball bounced from the wall to the floor, landing in her hand. "What was that supposed to mean? Huh?" Chewing on her lower lip again, she threw the ball. Ba-ba sh, ba-ba sh, ba-ba sh. "'Don't fear the path.' Yeah, too bad I'm already deadly scared of turning sixteen, thanks seers of the world." Ba-ba sh, ba-ba sh, ba-ba sh. _My actions…what did they mean? What happened at the academy? The nightclub? Ugh, I wish that I knew!_

Ba-ba sh. Throwing the ball in the air now, Niri chewed on her bottom lip. "I give up." Sh sh, sh sh, sh sh.

The next thing she knew, a file flew and hit the back of her head. Turning around, she looked over at her father's friend. "Team of four. Get busy." When Baron walked out of the room, Niri opened up the tan folder to look inside.

"More pirates…" Flipping through the status reports, she chewed on her lower lip again. "All are weaponless…except for this one…but only if ripping up the ground…fun." Tossing the ball away, she could hear it patter down the hall. Standing up, she brushed the dirt off of her uniform before walking to where the bunkers were.

Grinning, she slammed open the door, watching as several of the male Marines either knocked their head on the ceiling, fell out of bed, or jumped several feet in the air. "You have really got to stop doing that."

"It was fun. Come on, there's another mission."

"Remind us why the Baron gives you the missions?"

"I have no idea now get up!"

-.-.-

In the country side, shouts, cries, and gun shots were heard as a horde of pirates rushed the four Marines that stayed huddled in a tight group. One of the pirates grinned, thinking it would be easy to ambush and take out all four without breaking a sweat. As soon as he got close though, said pirate was flown through the air, barreling into his crew.

Hitting a pirate away when he got too close with the butt of her gun, Niri cocked her borrowed shot gun and shot him in the stomach. Her other three team mates, Bastion, Markus, and Alex all stood with their backs to each other. Alex, the tallest in the squad, swung his giant hammer at another pirate, letting the enemy fly into another. Looking over at Markus, he watched the tanned man throw a knife into the throat of an upcoming pirate. "Markus, you need some help?"

"Shove it!"

Chuckling, Alex looked over to Bastion as the really pale man rapidly punched another pirate. "How about you?"

"Shut up! I'm busy!"

"ALEX! SHUT THE HELL UP!" Niri yelled, hitting a pirate in the face with her gun. The pirate's nose crushed itself into his brain, his face turning concave. "Do your job!"

Chuckling again, Alex returned his attention to the battle field, knocking two more pirates away. "You'd think once these guys see that their crew is going down, that they would turn tail."

Bastion laughed. "Not these dumbasses. They don't have any brains."

Niri glared at the squad members. "Knock off the chatter!" Shooting another pirate, her ears perked at distant crying in the wind. "Sh, you hear that?"

Surrounded by either dead or knocked out pirates, the other three listened carefully. "Sounds like a child or a woman."

Holstering the shot gun on her back, Niri listened to the noise carefully, determined to find whoever it was that was crying. The wailing grew louder and louder as the four of them entered an abandoned warehouse. Sliding open one of the doors, the private looked inside, seeing a girl on her knees, crying into her hands. "Hey, are you alright?" Going near, she missed the red tint in her eyes. Kneeling down and putting a hand on the girl's back, Niri looked over at the other three. "She might need a medpack."

The girl grinned as she grabbed Niri's arm, hauling her down, her teeth growing fangs. Wings grew from her arms as the girl went to bite the private. Knocking the once wailing girl away, Bastion helped up Niri. "You alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." Looking over at the girl, she sighed. "Devil Fruit user, Bat by the looks." Releasing a pair of handcuffs from her belt, she cuffed the girl's wrists together before taping the girl's mouth shut. "Alex, help me with her."

Picking up the Devil Fruit user, Alex looked over at Niri, seeing bruises form on her arm. "Why do you think the World Government wants all pirate Devil Fruit users?"

Rolling her shoulder, Niri pulled off her makeshift bandana, trying it around her neck again. "How should I know? I'm just a private."

Nodding, Alex tossed the fruit user over his shoulder, walking out of the warehouse. "Another group of pirates down…several more to go."

Markus nodded, holstering his knives. "You know, I heard that there is a pirate crew that is so large, the captain doesn't know everybody on his ship?"

"I believe it."

Chewing on her bottom lip, Niri closed her eyes before stretching. "Yeah, well, if I was a pirate captain with a huge crew as well, I wouldn't know some of my crew either. I barely knew some of the cadets at the Academy and half of the Marines here at Tristram."

"I still want to know what the World Government is doing with all of these fruit users. We even sent the bodies of fruit users to the World Government. Why?" Alex asked, looking over at his squad members.

"No one knows and right now, I don't think that anyone cares," Markus said, patting his friend on the shoulder.

Bastion looked over at Niri as she rubbed her arm. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine!" Glaring, she looked back over at her arm. "I'm just bruised. Damn bitch had a tight grip."

"She couldn't have been any older than you are. Besides, she did eat a Devil Fruit. It may have increased her strength."

"Devil Fruit always increases strength, didn't you know that?" Niri asked, fighting off the urge to smack the back of his head. "Dumbass."

"And you would know how?" Markus asked.

Rolling her eyes, Niri glared at him. "I did fight Andariel, you know, Mistress Spider. She had super strength."

The other three just nodded, taking her word on it. Handcuffing the other pirates who were knocked out, they dragged them behind as the four of them walked back to the base.

-.-.-

Flopping down on her bed, Niri closed her eyes. Just coming out of the shower, she was relaxed, calm, and even though her hair was soaking the pillow, happy. Opening up her blue eyes, she sat up and ran her hand through her wet hair, beginning to think. _Why does the World Government was Devil Fruit users? Why can't they just go out and find the Devil Fruit themselves?_ Glaring at the report on the foot of her bed, she grabbed a pen from her bedside table and began to fill out the details that had gone on throughout the mission.

Tucking her hair behind her ears, her thoughts wandered from the mission to the events in her life. It was only a few months until her sixteenth birthday and it frightened her to no end. _I still haven't figured out what the seers meant. It's all one giant riddle that I have yet to solve and I'm scared to._

Upon filling the report out, she closed the file and set it away to think. Curling up on her bed, Niri closed her eyes, letting the silence fill her ears while sleep came to her.

_Dreaming, she was in the middle of her circle of family and friends. All were looking at her with smiles before turning their backs on her and walking away. Some, only a few feet, others walked away to the point where she couldn't see them again. Looking at all of them, she was suddenly underwater, her throat constricting to hold in her breath, her chest tightening, ready to explode and her body sinking. It confused her because she didn't eat a Devil Fruit and there, walking on the surface, were familiar faces._

_She tried to reach for them, tried to call out for help, tried to swim but her body wouldn't listen to her before a bright light started to shine from the bottom of the ocean. Covering her eyes, she heard laughter before opening them again, looking at the trees and flowers around her. Her home, Aran Island. Scared of not hearing familiar sounds, she ran to the village, falling over several times before a dark creature lunged at her._

Bolting up in her bed, she panted, gripping the sheets tightly before looking around. Realizing nothing was there, she fell back on her bed and released a long sigh, only curling up to sleep again into a dreamless state.

A/N: Okies, review. BYE! –runs off to play Left 4 Dead again-


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter Twenty

Disclaimer: I don't own OP.

A/N: Alright, this has been bugging me all day. So hopefully I can word this right to be a good chapter.

"That stupid whatever it is has been messing with my mind for too long! I'm now dreaming about it! UGH!" Sitting down hard, Niri leaned against a wall and looked up at the ceiling above her. "Why did I dream over everyone though? Stupid dream."

"NIRI!" Wincing, the private looked over from her sitting place in the hallway to the office next to her. Rolling her eyes, she stood, brushed off the dust from her skirt. Still upset that she was issued pants, she sighed. Walking into the office, she saluted the higher officer, Major Harker. "At ease. Listen, Private, I have a special mission for you. No one else can do this because you are the only one qualified for this job. What you're about to do is imperative to your career as a Marine. You are to go to this address and do your duty! Dress in civilian clothes and make sure it's modest! DISMISSED!"

Really wanting to rub her ears to get the ringing out, she saluted, took the slip of paper from the Major and left the room. "Harker Barker, the loudest Marine in the WG," she muttered under her breath. "What is this mission?"

-.-.-

"Babysitting?" she nearly shrieked as Harker grabbed his wife and the two rushed out of the house.

Over the dust trail, she heard "WE HAVE THE UTMOST CONFIDENCE IN YOU!"

Crossing her arms, she sighed before nudging the door closed with her foot. "Great." Making sure the door was closed tightly and locked; she turned to see three blonde children looking up at her. Two girls and a boy, ranging in different ages as the boy held a baby in his arms. "Uh…hi." They didn't say anything. "I'm Niri." Kneeling to their height, she smiled. "What are your names?"

The boy handed the baby over before looking at his younger sister. The two of them nodded before looking back, evil smiles on their faces. "I'm Lord and Master and she's Princess of the World."

The girl pointed at the now drooling one year old. "And she's Stinky Drool Face!" She then promptly started to giggle as an odorous smell started to pour into the room. "You're our slave until mommy and daddy come home and there is nothing you can say or do that will change that and if you ever try to be mean to us, we'll tell our daddy and you'll be kicked in jail."

Shocked and disgusted by the smell, Niri stood. Thinking, she just grinned. "Fine. Now, if you excuse me, I have to go change this little girl." Looking around, she could see that the kids thoroughly enjoyed not having their parents around. "Alright, where is this little one's room?" As the girl told her, all Niri could think about was that she had been tricked and that she would be in hell until the Major returned. Walking up a flight of stairs, the baby began to cry. Cooing softly, she went into the nursery and changed the baby.

Once the baby girl was in a fresh diaper, Niri set her in the crib and covered her up, watching the girl look up at the spinning toys above her head. Smiling, she stroked the baby's cheek, feeling a motherly feeling swell up in her chest. Tiptoeing out of the room, she quietly closed the door and turned around. There in front of her were the other two children. Two sets of green eyes looked up at her as twin grins flashed. _That can't be good._

"Mommy always plays with me," the girl said, tugging on Niri's hand.

"But daddy always plays with me as well!" her brother said, tugging on the private's other hand. The two began to run in opposite directions, pulling hard.

Sighing, Niri closed her eyes. Getting a bright idea, she looked at the both of them. "How about a snack?"

"How about not. We're gifted, did you know that?"

Niri just rolled her eyes and blew some hair out of her face. _Yeah, especially coming from Harker Barker._

The little girl just giggled, pushing Niri close to her brother. "We can do illusions."

Raising an eyebrow, the private grinned. "Really?"

The two pushed Niri on a chair as they set things up. With a smoking pot, courtesy of dry ice and water, the two began to murmur a few things, tossing in random objects as the smoke bellowed up, more and more. Watching intensely, Niri could tell that the dry ice fog was changing color, as if molding itself into something. Watching the shape, she missed the kids as they tossed in a few more things, completely absorbed by the fog figure. A face formed itself, color flushing in the cheeks and eyes as the mouth smiled. A face, almost so perfect, one could almost touch it began to rot, cheeks first, showing the molars, the gums and cheekbones, then lips shriveled, skin stretched and discolored, eyes sunken and teeth became the focal point.

The face lunged at Niri, scaring her completely. Fearful that this almost real face was going to attack her, she curled up when the face flew itself at her. Hearing laughter and giggles from the two blondes, she could tell that the illusion was over. All that was left was water and a bunch of random household objects in the pot with them.

"Not cool." _Now I'm definitely going to be checking every dead body I find. _Looking at the two blondes, Niri frowned, picking up the pot and marching herself into the kitchen. "Neat trick, you scared me, big fun, never do it again," she said, dumping the pot in the sink.

The boy laughed. "We got you good."

"Yes, you got me. Now my nerves are shot and it's bad enough I already have one thing on my mind, thank you."

"What thing?" Both children looked at the ebony beauty with eager interest. "Please tell us."

Looking at the blonde children, she nodded. "Only if you tell me your real names, baby's too."

"Charlie, Carly, and Christine, now tell us!" the little girl begged, jumping up and down in place.

Looking back at the pot, Niri sighed. "I have a riddle to solve but I have to do this before I'm sixteen, and that's months away."

"You're fifteen?" Charlie asked, jaw dropped. Niri nodded, looking confused. "You don't act it."

Rolling her eyes, she continued. "It's been plaguing my every thought, my dreams and now, I'm scared to turn sixteen."

Carly went still before looking up at Niri, pointing at the private. "You shouldn't try to guess this answer. You might as well let this one ride out until the end."

"Seer."

Charlie looked over at his sister and the babysitter before hitting his sister over the head. "Don't listen to her; she does that a lot and it's rather embarrassing."

"Your sister is a seer! Is it all Harker or just her?" Niri demanded, growing scared of her future.

Looking down, the blonde boy sighed. "Our mother was a seer and she's the only one in the family too. It just happens."

Crossing her arms, Niri just shook her head. _Never ran into a seer on Aran, in fact, I never saw a seer before I went to the Academy._ Waving her hand, she heard the children run off to play. _So, even children can be seers. I don't understand. Ugh, if I never see another seer again and they start telling me my future, it will all be too soon._

-.-.-

"HAHA! This is one hellova job, Zolaro!"

"Yes, sir."

"Mission completed."

"Thank you, sir." Saluting, Niri had to bite the inside of her cheeks to stop from exploding in frustration. Her commanding officer and his wife had just come home drunk from their date. "Have a good evening, sir, ma'am."

Walking away from the couple, a hand grabbed hers. Looking down, she irked at the sight of Carly. "You'll see him again."

"See who?"

Giggling, Carly ran away, leaving a very confused Niri standing there, wondering what in the world the girl was talking about. _I need a drink._

Walking from the crowded streets to a local bar, Niri coughed several times to clear her lungs of the smoke coming from the many cigars and cigarettes of the drinkers. Sitting herself at a stool, she knocked on the wood. "Grog me." The bartender just raised his eyebrow. "I am a Marine private. Yes, I know that I'm only fifteen but then again, you do serve minors as well, so you either grog me, or I turn your bar in for distributing to minors."

The bartender just shook his head, grinning. It was like this every other Friday. A group of Marine would get the night off and they would head straight to his bar, drinking to their hearts content so it became a system for the bartender and sharpshooter. Sort of like a bond between drinking buddies.

"You know I don't like you drinking so much," he protested, sliding a cold mug forward.

"Can't get drunk, how many times do I have to tell you that?"

"I know, it's just I worry for you." In his thirties, the bartender has seen many young people come in, claiming they'll be fine and years down the road, they have a gut, a bad reputation and a terrible attitude. "It's bad for your liver."

Slamming the mug down and giving a long belch, the sharpshooter shot him a dirty look. "I don't care about my liver. I'll stop drinking when I start feeling sick so until then, GROG ME!"

"You never get sick while drinking…" he said softly, refilling the mug. "It's like your body lives off of the alcohol."

Sighing, Niri finished off her second mug, tilting the container to balance its edge. "Yeah, well, tonight, I want to get drunk. I need to forget about something." The bartender just nodded, attending to another customer.

A group of sailors, fresh from the Blue, approached Niri, sitting on either side of her. "Hey, bar keep, I'll have what she's having and I'll pay for her bill."

"It's strong," Niri said, looking over at the one who spoke. "Too strong for you." The sailors laughed as their drinks were brought up. Chugging the alcohol quickly, some had to spit it out while others finished it but held onto their throats as the burn flamed their esophagus. "Told you." Glaring at the group, she growled low in her throat. "Get lost. Those who can't handle my drink can't associate with me, now get!" Finishing off her third mug, she nodded at the bartender before looking back over. "Thanks for paying my bill." Grinning, she winked at the bartender. "Give them my FULL bill."

As the sharpshooter left the bar, one sailor just shook his head. "Weird girl." Looking over at the bartender, he grinned, pulling out a couple Beli. "How much was it?" The bar tender just smiled and handing him a little slip of paper, the figure having a lot of zeros. "BUT I DON'T HAVE THAT MUCH!"

"Then you scrub the bathrooms," the bartender said with a smile. The sailors nodded confidently. "With a toothbrush!"

A/N: Alright, sorry it took me a while, been dealing with several things at once.


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter Twenty One

Disclaimer: I don't own OP.

A/N: Sorry for not updating, was busy with five other fics. I need to update more.

Two more months and never before has a birthday frightened her. What if she could go a full year without killing anyone? Maybe she could be sent on a mission to somewhere far away from anyone she knew and- no, that wouldn't work. The girl seems to radiate trust and become friends too easily. She really needs to fix that problem. Chewing on her blistered lip, she pulled off a thin layer, causing the wounded skin to bleed all over again. Sighing, Niri rubbed her tired eyes, looking down at the report she had just filled out.

Looking up to the ceiling, she visualized the heavens above the building, sighing as she did so. "Give me a sign or something." Slamming her head on the desk, she could feel the freshly applied ink squeeze from under her skin, smearing on the paper. Not like she cared anyways. "I don't want to be sixteen," she whined, licking her bleeding lip. _It's not Axe, I'm pretty sure of it. Besides, I have seen hide or hair of that lug anywhere, it isn't Sadie or Tash, they're gone and I know it's not my family. The only ones left are my friends here at Tristram, unless I'm sent back home. ARGH! As if I need to think about them at a time like this._

Closing her bright blue eyes, she sighed, letting the air fill her lungs completely, holding her breath until her body screamed for fresh air, for a release. Exhaling, she could feel like weight was pushed off of her, like her body was light as air. Damn paper work and anything that had to do with a desk, she needed to go out and do something.

Pushing herself away from the desk and walking to her empty bunker, she began to feel age creep up on her. Normally, any almost sixteen year old would be hormonal, excited like a puppy and be completely reckless in whatever they do but for Niri, she felt like she was thirty, going through a routine every day. Needing a break, she felt her body grow restless to do anything to feel the correct age. Shutting the door quickly, Niri rushed to her bed, pulling out Axe's letter from under her pillow. Rereading it for the umpteenth time since receiving it, she sighed. Niri would give anything, do anything, to live with his exciting life, a life as a pirate just because it was different and never went through a schedule.

Letting out a breath of air, she folded the paper, placing it back before changing out of her uniform. So far, Baron hasn't called for her and neither have any of the other officers so she felt like it was safe. Now donning a simple shirt and pants, she pulled on boots and raced to the bathroom to clean off the ink. Looking at her reflection, nothing had changed. Sure, she lost the last ounce of baby fat from her face but still, there wasn't a difference.

Running a hand through her hair, she noticed that it was longer than when she started at the academy but deciding that it didn't need trimmed or cut, she tied it back in a sloppy bun and hurried her way out of the Marine base. Passing by crowds of people, by the seers she recognized as they looked at her with far-off glances and mourning looks, passing by buildings as she hurried off to unfamiliar parts of the major port.

Any type of excitement to break the schedule, to get her mind off of her destiny, to make her feel. Her body called for it, to search for anything dangerous, anything different, just anything. Stopping short from the edge of the port, to a dock some pirates used to hide from the Marines, she quickly recognized a flag, a flag she thought she'd never see again. There, on top of the mast, flying in the wind was a pirate flag, black with a skull being pierced by daggers. Usually there was something under the skull but these pirates were different, these pirates were kidnappers, rapists, murderers, the only thing Niri feared as a child.

She had seen the flag as a tattoo before, on a man who had wanted to kidnap her for ransom. If it hadn't been for Axe… Backing up slowly, she listened closely, hiding behind some rocks, trying to find out if they had found her. A stick snapped nearby, making her head whip around to find the culprit, her hand instinctively flying to her side, only to stop when realizing she had forgotten her gun. Berating herself, she sat completely still, waiting to see whatever made the noise. A rabbit had popped out of the bushes before looking at her, its brown eyes wide before it hopped away, in search for food. Letting out a breath, Niri put a hand to her heart.

"Well, well, well, what have we got here?" Holding completely still, Niri stiffly turned her head, seeing the face of an ugly pirate, a wide smile on his greasy face, his yellow teeth sticking every which way. As he leaned in, Niri jumped up, backing up slightly as she raised her fists. HA! She couldn't fight worth a flip and she knew it but he didn't. Chuckling, the pirate walked towards her, causing her to back up some more. Stopping, his smile went even wider, if that was possible, before he pulled out a whistle and blew hard on it.

Niri's heart stopped. She wanted excitement just not this kind. These pirates were dangerous and there wasn't anyone for her to scream for help. Her stomach dropped as she heard movement close by. Fear crept into her heart as she backed up more, feeling that there was someone behind her as well. Looking around, she finally took in that she was surrounded. "Oh shit."

"Pretty little thing, we won't hurt you, much," one man had said, licking his lips hungrily as he measured the girl with his eyes. His friends barked with laughter as they circled the Marine. "Come on, hun, let's be friends."

The man behind her came close and wrapped his arms around Niri, holding her still. Growling, she remembered what she had learned from Siamon. Twisting her body as much as she could, she elbowed the man in the gut, raising her foot to kick him in the groin and slamming the back of her head into his face before pulling his gun from its holster. "Anyone want to try that again, I'll shoot them on the spot," she threatened, her body shaking with adrenaline. _Someone help._

One pirate looked at the shaking gun and then looked at her, a grin on his face before he fingered the gun's barrel. "You're not going to shoot us." Niri pulled back the hammer of the pistol and pulled the trigger in one swift movement, shooting a hole in his palm. The pirate swore loudly, holding his wrist as blood gushed out of the wound. "You bitch."

Narrowing her eyes, she pulled back the hammer again. _No, this gun can only hold six bullets and I've already wasted one and I don't know how many are left. I need all that I have. I can't waste any,_ she thought, gritting her teeth at her situation. Why didn't she go somewhere else, like a bar or a club?

The group of pirates came closer to the scared Marine, knowing full well that she'd be too scared and too overwhelmed to fight back. One grabbed her arm, only to be kicked away but it was a small bruise compared to what he had gone through beforehand. "Come on, the more you resist, the more you'll get hurt."

"And risk being passed around like a liquor bottle? I'll take my chances, thanks," Niri spat, her body shaking more violently. She wasn't strong, she didn't have many bullets left, and she was surrounded. Trying to think of what she was taught, she quickly counted the men that surrounded her. That's when they struck.

Quickly, she remembered something, a palm thrust. Curling her fingers, she made sure her palm was open before ramming it upward at a pirate's nose, hearing the sickening crunch as his nose broke before he collapsed on the ground, probably from the feeling of the broken cartilage or from death if she hit it hard enough. Slamming her elbow into another pirate, she watched as her doubled over in pain before hitting the back of his head with the same elbow, then kicking his face with her knee. Someone had grabbed her waist, pulling her backwards before another grabbed her legs, lifting her off of the ground. Fear screamed in her body at the thought of being ravaged. Struggling hard, she kicked as hard as she could to be free before slipping out of the man's grasp, kicking his chest before raising it up to slam his head in the ground.

The man that held her from behind knocked the gun out of her hand and twisted her arm behind her back, raising it as she screamed in pain. Another punched her in the gut as she doubled over, coughing up blood from the force of the hit. Raising her foot she kicked the man that held her in the groin, feeling relieved as her arm was freed. Picking up the discarded gun, Niri curled up in the fetal position as the pirates kicked at her, breaking one of her ribs and formed bruises all over her body. Looking up, Niri took a risk and aimed the gun quickly, shooting one of the pirates in the head before aiming it at another, shooting him as well. Three bullets wasted, maybe three left. The pirates she had merely wounded joined in on kicking her, causing the Marine to scream out in pain.

Hearing a sickening crunch from her torso, she could tell they broke another rib before darkness covered her eyes.

-.-.-

Eyes opening, Niri breathed in deep, quickly regretting it as pain flooded her system. Shallow breaths, she looked around. Arms above her head, feet tied together, she knew she was in trouble. How long she was out, she couldn't be sure but the only thing now was to wish for a miracle. Closing her eyes, tears fell at a rapid pace.

She was still on land, still outside the city, and that no one ever comes this way unless they were pirates or Marines on secret missions. Hanging her head with shame, she knew this: no one was going to save her. Completely shaking with fear and sobs, she looked up once she heard laughter. Walking up close to her and gripping her bottom jaw was a big man, nearly as tall as her commander Siamon was but not as burly. Grinning, he gently wiped away her tears before looking at his men. "You have delivered an excellent present, boys, but unfortunately, she seems unwilling," he cried out, his voice rich and heavy with accent. Looking back at Niri, his violet eyes narrowed and glazed over with lust as he pulled out a knife, toying with it. "Do you want freedom?"

The Marine private nodded, looking up with slightly hopeful eyes. "Please?" At that, the pirates laughed before the leader grabbed her chin again. "Let me go," she pleaded, silently begging for anyone to come and save her.

Laughing louder, one of the men nudged another. "If I didn't know better, I'd say that I recognized her." Niri's eyes widened. Of course, years ago she was to be kidnapped and held ransom so that they could get to her father so it was no wonder that someone recognized her. "Wasn't that group sent to jail or something?"

"Enough!" The leader looked down at Niri, leaning down so he was nose to nose with her. "I think it's time for some fun."

A/N: WHOA! Did I really write that? Holy snap. Review.


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter Twenty-Two

Disclaimer: I don't own OP.

A/N: Alright, chapter twenty two, review afterwards, please.

Sobbing, Niri pulled herself in a tight ball as she lay on the ground. Bloody, beaten, and bruised, she closed her eyes tightly, letting her body shake with sobs. Praying to whoever was listening, she wished for death. Ashamed of herself, she looked up to the heavens. "Kill me, please."

_FLASHBACK_

"_NO! STOP!" Niri screamed, hoping someone could hear her. Clothes torn, the tied up girl could only struggle, scream for help, and hope for the experience to be over quickly. With her eyes shut tightly, she grit her teeth as she felt hands on her body. Tears slid down rapidly down her face as she prepared for the worse. Without warning, she heard the sound of a sword being unsheathed and men scream in fear and pain. Opening her eyes, the one that was touching her was headless as blood splattered on her face._

_Screaming, she struggled hard to free herself, pulling at her bindings, ripping her skin as the ropes burned with every movement. Feeling her wrist twist at an odd angle, she quickly slipped it out of the rope, working quickly on her other hand. With her hands finally free, Niri worked on her feet, standing up and running away from the bloodshed. She didn't know what the hell was happening and she didn't care._

_Tripping and falling over, she quickly hid in a bush, blocking out all of the sounds of the dying men. Whoever saved her was still doing their job. Biting her lower lip, Niri tucked herself in a dark corner of the bushes, hoping that whoever saved her wasn't going to find her._

_END FLASHBACK_

Though she had left intact and pure, she still felt dirty, used and completely disgusted. Hearing movement around her, Niri's eyes went wide as she tightened herself in a ball, holding her breath in case that person could hear it. With her hand over her nose and mouth, she could feel the muscles shiver and shake from the tension and fear. Seeing boots near her, her eyes widened as far as they could as her heart pounded harder and faster, causing her head to spin. Adrenaline sang through her system, demanding that she waste her energy doing something before she passed out.

Closing her eyes tightly, not daring to take even a small breath, in case that person would hear it, Niri could feel her lungs burn for air, her stomach clenching, anything to give itself more air. Blue eyes opened slowly to see the boots walk away before they closed again, her hand falling from her face as she passed out from lack of oxygen. (You can knock yourself out by holding your breath but you can't kill yourself that way)

-.-.-

Baron looked out of his office window, leaning against the frame with an arm above him. No one had seen her around the base and the scouts had reporting back to him with empty results. Cursing, he moved away from the window, listening as rain began to fall in a soft pattern. Sitting at his desk, he entertwined his fingers and held them under his chin. Where is she?

-.-.-

_Darkness all around, no sound, no light, nothing but still she ran. She didn't know why but she knew she had to run to something to get away from another thing. As she ran, ripples eminated from her passing, making waves follow her. A bell rang somewhere in the distance as she stopped, the waves falling back down. Color filled her senses. Red on her clothes and hands, purple like markings on her neck, but still, she wasn't afraid. Around her people fought but she moved forward, a hand grabbed her shoulder, causing her to turn around._

_Eyes went wide as a familiar face shook his head before pushing her back to where she came from. Not wanting to leave his side, she tried to move back, tried to reach out for him but more hands, familiar and stranger gripped her, moving her back. Niri began to cry, trying to shove them all away. "You're not ready."_

"_Poor dear…when will she wake up?" The voice sounded so distant, almost inaudible._

_Plunging through water, the images disappeared but the feeling of being ripped away again tore at her heart. Her body rose and surfaced the water as the sounds, the voice, the feeling became more and more real._

First came her sense of smell. Fresh clothes, something delicious smelling cooking, the smell of firewood, everything washed over her mind, purging the images she recently saw. Twitching her fingers, Niri could feel the soft fabric that covered her, a heavy warmth next to her and finally the pain in the wrists and ankles as well as the bindings around her torso from the broken ribs but a sharp pain from other areas brought tears to her eyes. Though the men didn't go through with their plan, they still hurt her.

Opening her eyes, her vision came out as blurry and watery before tears fell. Sitting up, she wiped away the salt filled water drops and looked around. She was in a small hut, a fire before her with a thick stew cooking in a pot above the flames. Next to her, on the bedding was a dog, old and scarred, it lay next to her. Sad and tired eyes looked up as she smiled and rubbed the old timer's head gently.

From what she could tell, she was nude under the blanket, probably due to the one who did her bindings. The dog wasn't vicious so it brought her at ease that this person meant no harm. Almost on cue, an elderly woman walked through the doorway, holding fresh clothes in her hand. "Oh, you're up. That's good."

Nodding, Niri pulled what blanket she could closer to her so not to reveal herself. "Thank you."

When the elderly woman just nodded and smiled, the flood gates broke and tears fell rapidly down Niri's face. Sitting next to the private, the woman clucked softly as she pulled the ebony haired girl close. "Now, now, girl, they hurt you bad but don't worry, they're gone," she reassured, rubbing the girl's back. "Come now, you don't need to cry anymore." Niri just clung tighter to the elderly woman, sobbing as hard as she could.

After tears dried and the private dressed, Niri pulled her legs in, hugging her knees with one arm as she rubbing the old dog's eyes gently with the other hand. "Who saved me?"

"Obaachan."

"I'm sorry?"

"Call me obaachan. Now, I don't know who saved you but you're very lucky that they did or you'd be another dead body lying in the road." Obaachan stirred the stew with a ladle before looking at her old pooch. "It was Dozo here who found you. It's funny but he doesn't like many people."

Niri just smiled and rubbed Dozo's belly when he rolled over. "I have a way with animals, I guess."

"I called the doctors while you were out. They should be here any minute. Doctor K-"

"No! No doctors!" _I don't want anyone to know._

The elderly woman looked shocked but nodded, pouring the stew in a bowl and handed it over to the girl. "Alright. Eat, you've been out for a day now so you'll need your strength."

Niri's eyes went wide. "A day?" she shrieked, causing Dozo's ears to perk up as he whined, nudging Niri's hips to not make the noise again. _Baron must be either worried or extremely pissed! Oh no, I'm going to be in so much trouble when I get back to the base._ Eating the hot stew quickly, she felt the heat of the food burn its way to her empty stomach. "I'm sorry, obaachan, but I must leave." Setting down the bowl, she gave the dog a quick scratch behind his ears and hugged obaachan.

"Thank you for your hospitality." Obaachan wrapped her arms around the girl and smiled. "I'll never forget you, obaachan." Drawing away, she gave the two a final glance. "Goodbye, granny."

-.-.-

"YOU WERE GONE FOR A FULL DAY, YOU DIDN'T LEAVE A NOTE, INSTEAD, YOU GO OFF ON YOUR OWN, DOING WHO KNOWS WHAT! NOW, WHAT HAVE YOU TO SAY FOR YOURSELF?" Wincing, Niri looked up from her gaze on the floor. It was scary how much he reminded her of her father at times like these. "Well? I'm waiting."

Taking a deep breath, Niri's fingers twitched from the pain her ribs gave her. "First of all, since we're not talking in terms of the Marine, I'm old enough to go off without permission. You're not my father. Secondly, I had female troubles." Biting down on the lie, she hoped that her father's friend would buy it. "And thirdly, I got you this." Tossing him a wrapped package, she held her breath as he fumbled to catch the package. Letting out her breath, she watched as Baron opened the box up, nearly screaming with joy.

Pulling out a rare wine, he blew off the dust to look at the year before giving the girl the biggest grin. "This doesn't get you out of punishment but thanks." Niri fell to the floor before glaring at the man. "Teasing." She fell over again.

"DON'T TEASE LIKE THAT!" Recovering, she had to admit, taking that bottle was easy and with how she knew the Baron, it would be gone in a matter of hours and all evidence would be destroyed. Who knew that she was a great thief?

A/N: Her dream, the face was her father's and the familiar faces were the soldiers who had died in battle. He told her that she wasn't ready to die and that's why they were pushing her away. Obaachan means grandmother in a casual way and yes, Niri is now becoming the famous thief that she is. At least it's better than "Princess Sniper".


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter Twenty-Three

Disclaimer: I don't own OP.

A/N: Dark, angst, very depressing, just the way I like writing, that and horror/mystery. And for some odd reason, I had Rise by Origa stuck in my head while writing this.

"You broke them, how again?"

Eyes, empty with life opened slowly. "I fell."

The doctor at the base sighed and wrapped Niri's torso. "There has to be something else. What is it?" The girl didn't answer. "Come on, you can't hide like this forever. What ever happened, you had better tell someone before it eats you alive." Not getting a response from her, the doctor sighed before writing something down, handing her a few pain killers. "If that's all…" He didn't like leaving her like this but there was nothing else he could do.

The doctor and Baron gave each other a look when the former walked in, both as a warning and a concern. The Baron sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. They could both see the marks on her body but she refused to speak. Mentally kicking himself, he silently prayed that her father doesn't smite him down for whatever happened to his daughter. She was precious to Giles, ever since Carmen left…

Rolling the bottle in her hand, Niri could hear the pills clink against each other and the sides of the bottle. If she took a handful of them at once, maybe the whole bottle, the pain would go away and she could see her father again. No, there was that stupid prophecy those crazy seers keep warning her about, how she was supposed to kill someone without killing them. A little bit of light shone through her eyes as pure rage bubbled up. Once she was sure that she could leave, Niri left the examining room, quickly hurrying to her bunker. There were no other girls so she didn't have to worry about anyone bothering her or spreading nasty rumors.

Slamming the door shut, she threw open the bottle, watching the pills scatter all over the floor. Counting them, Niri could see her life begin to die. If she took too little, the pain would be too much for her but if she took too much, she could have problems breathing, vomit, pass out, and very possibly die. Empty eyes narrowed. Suicide. That thought had crossed her mind several times since that day. It wasn't like she couldn't just do it whenever.

She was a sniper so there was almost always a gun nearby, she worked and lived in a Marine base and there were certainly plenty of knives around to slit her wrists with. Then again, there was drowning in the Blue, since all she had to do was fill her pockets with rocks or she could hang herself in the gallows but this way, never before has she looked at pills as a way to die.

Sure, suicide was a dishonorable way to die but if it got rid of her pain… No, she would have to see about this prophecy, since, after all, her birthday was just less than two months away now. A gull cried out, snapping Niri out of her thoughts. Gulls were Marines' carrier birds, that's when it hit her, Axe. Pulling out his letter, she traced every messy letter. If she killed herself, he couldn't show up to give his condolences to her mother, to see her be buried. Snorting, she folded the paper once again and scooped up a few pills, popping them in her mouth. Swallowing them dry, she could taste the dust from the ground and the disgusting flavor of the medicine.

Falling on her bed, she curled up and felt the back of her head open. She knew this feeling, the feeling of being high. Closing her eyes, her mind emptied as everything and nothing came flying towards her. She was tired, she was getting sick and she couldn't move.

-.-.-

A falter. Frowning, Carly closed her eyes, watching the events but a falter had changed everything. Did her babysitter finally change her future? Watching further, she smiled faintly to see that it was so but quickly frowned. Where was she? Her green eyes opened at the child quickly ran to her father. Bursting into her father's study, she tugged at his sleeve, demanding attention. "Daddy, daddy, call the base. She's in trouble!"

Harker looked down at his gifted child. "Who?"

"The babysitter," she huffed. "She's in trouble!"

Harker just smiled. "What are you talking about? She was found and is resting so her injuries will heal themselves."

"Injuries don't heal when a body is dead!" Her father raised an eyebrow. "She's dying!" Her mind went blank again as the falter, the wrinkle, unfolded itself, setting the path straight again. Not taking any chances, Carly looked ahead. It was fixed. Looking ahead a few seconds before the now, she saw Niri open her eyes before emptying her stomach, dispelling the medicine. "Never mind, daddy."

-.-.-

Eyes opened enough to see the blurry image of where the putrid smell was coming from. Leaned over the bed, she moved away, covering her nose to block the foul stench. Why had she thrown up? Closing her eyes again, she felt her mind slip as she fell to darkness. No dreams, no thoughts, nothing but pure darkness. Trapped in the empty abyss, her limbs grew heavy, her heart pounding to bring oxygen to her body. Her breathing, why is it slowing? Was she dying?

No, she won't let that happen. She still had to see what had been keeping her up so many nights, she had to see her future unfold. Opening her eyes, everything was doubled but it didn't stop her from sitting up to gather all the little pills and opening the window, throwing them out. Niri glared through the double vision.

Gripping the wall, she could feel her legs grow weak, her body shut itself down. Scolding herself, Niri bit her lower lip once her hips touched the floor. If she wasn't so bored, she wouldn't be in this mess now. Darkness enfolded her once again as her head slammed into the floor. "The drugs are quick…"

-.-.-

Nothing prepared them for this. As team mates gathered around the room's entrance, they could hear doctors scream and shout for tools foreign to them. The only girl on the base at Tristram was found passed out, her body convulsing and purging itself. Once word had spread around the base as her body traveled to the base's clinic, they had wondered, what drove her to this point? For three days, her eyes were empty, her voice hallow, like she was a shell.

Twice they heard the doctors shout flat line, not knowing the meaning behind it but then a word of relief was emanated. The doctor who had given her the pills, he had made a mistake handing her wrongly labeled medicine. Baron saw no reason to charge him, even though he was extremely ticked off. Carly, Harker's daughter, had given him word that she would be fine, that she would recover but it was widely known that some seers were wrong. He prayed that she was right. He was supposed to protect her, Giles told him to, her step-mother told him to, even Siamon said to. She's too precious to be lost.

Confusion around the waiting room could be heard both through the verbal communication and through silence. Silence in the room that held Niri and the doctors worried everyone. As nurses and doctors left, one nodded. Word passed between a commanding officer and the medic before Baron was called. It seemed that she was awake and wanted to see him.

It hurt seeing the sniper like this, vulnerable, weak. Fire in her eyes again, life returned as she turned her head. "Don't tell them," she whispered. "I don't want anyone to know." Sitting by her, Baron held her hand and nodded. "Tell them a lie, tell them something but the truth." She smiled faintly and closed her eyes. "I have one too many parental figures in my life." He understood now. If no one knew, then they wouldn't have to worry.

"Your ribs."

"They're healing on their own. I'll be fine." She looked over at her father's friend and narrowed her eyes. "I don't want that special doctor. I don't care how good she is, that's one more person questioning." Baron just laughed and nodded. Stubborn as always.

A/N: AND the dark chapter is closed. REVIEW!


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter Twenty-Four

Disclaimer: I don't own OP.

A/N: I'm sorry for not posting this earlier…I had a friend of mine pass away then the holidays and then I got sick and yada yada yada. Anyways, here it is. HAPPY NEW YEAR GUYS!!!! Oh, and for someone very special out there, the keeper of my heart, Happy Wednesday.

Her eye drooped. Why was she here again? Ah, right, to be debriefed on the new advancements throughout the Marine. Wait, why was she here? She's a private! Niri would have been ticked off, if her eyes didn't close and unladylike snores rang out. This only happened when her nose was stopped up. It must be due to the cold she got earlier that day…

A large crack before her head caused her to snap out of her drowsy state and look up. A very red in the face general stared down at her, arms crossed. Oh no, he was going to shout. Please, not now, not while she's grumpy, sleepy and have a huge headache. Sleepy eyes blinked very slowly several times before she yawned. The general growled loudly before shutting his eyes, counting very slowly from ten to one, getting louder at every number.

"Remind us once more why you are here."

Yawning again, Niri raised a hand and wiped away the tears that formed from yawning too hard. "I dun know. You're the one that called me." Looking back up, her state of mind snapped and heightened. The general grabbed her by the collar of her uniform, the bandana falling to the floor from such force as he slammed her against the wall. The pressure of the hit and strength behind it caused the private to gasp loudly as her ribs reminded her of their state. Coughing up blood, Niri glared at the general before she was slammed against the wall again. "What the hell is your problem?" she shouted.

"I don't know how an insubordinate little girl like you got in. Honestly, the last time we had a little chit like you, we got rid of. Now, have you been paying any attention to anything that we have been saying?" To say no at a time like this, not a good idea… Nodding, Niri didn't trust her voice as she glared knives at her commanding officer. "Good, then prepare for your mission, private."

Saluting, Niri slowly wondered what she got herself into. "Yes sir!"

-.-.-

"Come on, you must know."

"Sorry, kid." Huffing, Niri crossed her arms and glared at her father's friend. "Oh no, don't look at me like that. Your mother used to give me that look." Without realizing what he said, the Baron began to berate himself, mentally kicking himself hard. "Listen, forget what I said and just get ready. All I know, and it's not much, you got a solo mission, real top class too, is that you'll be swimming a lot."

"SWIMMING!" The thought of the very large fish out in the Blue sent cold shivers up and down her spine. "Baron, can't they give me a different mission? I can't go out on the Blue."

"Why not? Can't swim?"

Niri glared again. "You know I can swim." Sighing, Niri ran a hand through her shoulder length hair. "It's complicated."

Baron put a hand on the girl's shoulder. "Listen, I would gladly recommend someone else for the mission, BUT, you are the only girl and before you can give me a speech or something, and stop giving me that look, hear me out. I know that you'll be dealing with certain…species of life."

Holding up a hand, Niri stopped Baron. "Are you talking about ME seducing FISH MEN?"

Shrugging, Baron nodded. "In a matter of speaking-"

"WHAT?!" Pacing, Niri's hands buried themselves in her hair, gripping the roots of her ebony locks. "I nearly get EATEN on the Blue, every time I think fishmen, I think of Siamon, I haven't had a proper relationship and…hold on, I thought you said you didn't know what the mission entailed," Niri said, pointing angrily at her friend. Exhausted from shouting, Niri put a hand to her ribs and sighed. "I'm almost sixteen, just tell me what all you know about this mission and stop treating me like I'm the little muddling I was when I was five."

A folder was flipped at her. Catching it, Niri opened it up, reading the details of the mission. "Apparently, the fishmen in a nearby port want some sort of agreement with the fishermen near that area. Seems like it's been war there."

Looking up from her folder, blue eyes narrowed. "Wrong seducing, huh?" Reading further, she began to chew on her lower lip. "This sounds horrible. Why would the fishermen kill the young?" She didn't expect an answer but as she read on, her eyes narrowed again. Closing the folder, she sighed and looked at her friend. "I accept this burden that's been placed on me."

Baron smiled at how formal she was. As he watched her on her way out, he grinned. "Brush up on your swimming."

-.-.-

One day of packing and getting a ship, one and a half days of sailing to the next port for some supplies and another three days of sailing to reach the segregated port. "Nearby my ass." Even from the lower decks, she could hear the people screaming at each other, some with watery voices, others full of malice and hatred. Walking up the galley stairs to step onto the deck, her breath caught in her throat. One board were fishmen, all were different breeds and colors but all had to same look in their eyes, a sad anger. Her brain, remembering what the report had said, couldn't fit the pieces together. It was as if the fishmen were the bad guys and the humans were good. But the Marines don't pick sides, the Marines are all about the good of the world, the protection of all people, save for those who have posters on their heads so why…? That's when it happened. Some child, somewhere near the waters, had begun to cry loudly and more shouts and cries were thrown on either side.

Sighing, Niri shook her head and leaned over the railing to see where the child was. The girl was a fish girl, an angel fish by the looks but she didn't cry because of the fighting, she cried because of a cut. The gash on her leg bleed profusely as human boys kicked sand at her and called her names. Niri whistled at a nearby Marine and tossed her father's gun at him. "You lose that or even get one SCRATCH on it, and I'll have your head on my wall."

Without looking back, Niri jumped off the railing, landing on the dock below her with a thud. Standing, she rushed over to the children and hit the boys on their heads, splitting her knuckles as she did so. "Knock it off! How dare you!" All around her the fighting had stopped as they all stared at the Marine private. "Don't you see that she's crying? And what do you do, torment her further! If I were your ages, I'd kick all of your asses! BEAT IT!" As the boys ran away, Niri went to the little girl and undid the bandana from around her neck. "This is going to hurt just a little." Wiping away as much sand as she could from the wound, Niri looked up at the angelfish and smiled gently before wrapping her bandana around the gash. "There you are." The angelfish had stopped crying but once her leg was free from the Marine's grasp, she ran off, screaming for her mother.

"Oi! You, girl!" Looking over her shoulder to the village, Niri blinked as her eyes drifted to the angry mob. They were no longer upset with the other species but with her. "What right have you got to do something like that?"

Standing, Niri tucked her hair behind her ear. "The name is Niri Zolaro, daughter of the late Captain Giles Zolaro. I am a private of the World Government Marines. I'm here to settle this disagreement between the residents of this port."

One man, a big burly mountain logger, if she didn't know any better, glared at her as he raised his fists. "There is no disagreement. This is our port and if they don't like it, they can leave. And we certainly don't do too kindly to fish lovers either so you and your little boat can just go back to where you came from."

Gritting her teeth, she held back on her insult. "That was a child that was crying and no one was willing to go over and make her stop. She was hurt and those boys continued to abuse her."

"She's an abomination! They all are!"

Looking over at the Marine with her father's gun, she raised out a hand. In one fluid motion, once the gun was thrown, Niri gripped the handle, feeling the familiar weight, feel, and texture as she closed her eyes and fired at the man. Opening her eyes again, she could see two burning holes in the ground, very close to the man's feet. "She's a child. Children are not abominations, no matter what they are. How dare you say that about a child!"

One by one, the villagers dissipated from the banks of the sea to return to their lives. Looking around, she could tell that the mermen were doing the same but those with sad anger gave her a longing look, a silent crying hope that this will be resolved soon. Sighing, she looked over to the ship as they lowered her bag. Of course, this was going to be a long mission and they needed to be on the move. Nodding, she went to grab her bag and looked at the ship as it faded from view. A few seconds ticked by as the ship entered the Point Of No Return before something clicked. Slapping her forehead, Niri felt like banging her head in the nearest post. _I ruined my changes of having a bed during my visit here. Geez, why did I have to go and do a rash move like that? Why did I open my big mouth?_

A soft giggle pulled her out of her self-loathing. Turning, the blue eyed girl saw the angelfish. Not a word passed between them as Niri grabbed her bag and followed the fish girl. The child skipped down the beach and past a few rocks, still in the line of sight of the village. As the waved ebbed and flowed, the salty winds kissed the two as they walked further on the beach, further from the village. Huts came into view as the laughter of children filled the air. Voice were heard but these were professional, jovial, or in caring tones.

From what she could see, these people were both mermen and human, both continuing life the way it should be but what was shocking were the results. "Hybrids." Many of the children showed qualities of both species but only a few of the adults did. How peculiar. The angelfish child called out to someone as the occupants of the huts turned their attention to the two approaching. Looking down at the girl, Niri smiled. "Thank you." The girl just shook her head, her smile growing wider. "Alright, I guess we're even then."

A/N: Alright, there it is. Now, I have to update my other fics before getting ready to welcome the new year. See you all in 2009!


	25. Chapter 25

Chapter Twenty-Five

Disclaimer: I don't own OP. I never have, never will.

A/N: Alright, slowed down on this for two reasons, one, I'm tired of working on just ONE fic constantly and needed a break, and two…well, reason one was good enough. Besides, I need more ideas and yes, this arc has already been finished in my head then there is one more arc then finished fic but that's not the point. Well, anyways, here's chapter twenty-five. Enjoy!

Five times clockwise, seven times counter clockwise, five times clockwise, seven times counter clockwise. The silver scoped gun twirled quickly on her index finger as her head was propped up. She has a job to do, yes, but just sitting down and doing nothing, this was BORING!

Sure, she was provided with room and board but this was getting boring. She was only there for maybe an hour and she's already hated by the humans. Sighing very loudly, Niri stood from her spot and set her father's memento down. There were some tide pools that seemed interesting, considering that many of them sparkled, probably hiding valuable coins, some type of gold, or maybe some jewels. A cheshire grin crept onto her face. She was beginning to like treasure. Changing out of her Marine uniform into her bathing suit, Niri made sure the bindings on her ribs were still tight and didn't slip.

Slipping a thin shawl around her hips, the Marine private snuck out of her temporary home to dash quickly to the beach. If anything, she could have a little vacation while she was there. After all, as long as they didn't fight today, she didn't see the reason to start fixing the problem just yet. Upon reaching the beach, however, she was very surprised to see several of the children, human, fish and hybrid, all running around, screaming, laughing, as a fin rose from the foam of the sea. The children scrambled from the water's edge and pointed at the fin, throwing clumps of sand at it.

They weren't frightened, just laughed gleefully as the fin rose up and arms grabbed and hugged several of the children. A man, grey and tall, laughed as he swung the children around and around. Catching sight of the private, he grinned and set down the kids. "Look, the very rare Marine. Be very careful when approaching, you don't want to scare it away." Smiling, Niri turned her head to look at the Blue, but kept her eyes on the children. "Oh, see the way it moves, very cautiously looking for any that might attack or prey." Turning her head back, she noted the very details of him. Fins at his elbows, a less prominent one on top of his head, and two more on the back of his muscular legs. He was some type of shark, maybe a great white? As for his clothes, very baggy button up, and loose shorts. Like the kids, he didn't wear shoes or sandals, but his webbed feet were buried in the sand and water.

Grinning, Niri tilted her head. "I'm hungry."

"Uh-oh, the Marine's hungry. Do you know what they eat?" he asked, kneeling beside one of the boys.

"What?"

"I EAT CHILDREN!" she shouted, teeth bared and a crazed look filled her eyes as she started running at them. The kids laughed and ran back to the village, shouting to run away from the kid eating monster. Laughing, she looked after the running munchkins. "Great, scared off some fresh meat."

"Well, I hope you don't eat shark." The private turned and shook her head. "Good. So, you're the one who is supposed to help us."

Niri sighed and shrugged. "I guess." Looking at the Blue, the girl scratched the back of her neck. "I'm not a negotiator, I'm a marksman."

"Well, Miss Not-Negotiator, why did they send you and not the real one?" She looked back over to him and shrugged. "Then I think that the Marines made a mistake. Not that I'm complaining." Niri narrowed her eyes. If he was hitting on her… "No, no, not like that. It just, some guys don't play along with some of the jokes and it's horrible."

"Where are my manners? I'm Tai." Sticking out his hand, the merman grinned, his razor sharp teeth shining.

"Private Niri Zolaro of the World Government." Shaking his hand, she couldn't help but notice his smooth skin. "I thought shark skin is rough."

Tai smiled. "Like sandpaper but not all mermen share the same characteristics of the breed of fish," he informed. "So, Miss Formal, how long do you think this will take?"

"Are you always going to call me Miss whatever?"

"No, never Miss Whatever." He grinned broadly. "I answered your question so common courtesy, answer mine."

Niri shrugged again. "I don't know how long it will take. I just hope it takes a while."

Grinning again, Tai bulged a muscle in his arm. "Attracted already?"

"You wish." Lightly shoving him away, she shook her head. "No, it's just something at the base I'm kind of worried about and if I take my time here, maybe I won't worry about it anymore because it will pass."

"Well, I hope not. I want this to be over as soon as it can. There have been too many lives ruined, innocent ones dying and fights between both sides," he said, his eyes fierce. "The human males quickly marry off their daughters so they won't bear hybrids and if one human falls in love with a merman, they are shunned and exiled."

_Why wasn't this in the report?_ "Is that why there are the huts?" He just nodded, his jaw clenched. "That's tragic."

"Abortions, kidnappings, killings, it's like living in hell." Both of their gazes lowered. "That's why we are so protective over the hybrids. They are precious to the world, proving that two species can live together." He smiled at her. "They are our symbol of hope."

"By the way you're speaking, it sounds like you're speaking for mermen in this argument." He just blushed and rubbed his nose. "Fine, just don't expect me to be swayed so easily. I have to hear both sides of this then come to a reaching point, you know that."

Tai bowed. "Yes, Miss Negotiator."

"STOP CALLING ME THAT!"

-.-.-

It all began about fifty years ago. It was a peaceful time, human and mermen living side by side in the port. One family, though, the richest, didn't like the mermen. The man thought they were heathens, creatures of nightmares and of sins while his wife agreed with him, they raised their two daughters to believe the same. But, as children do, they saw only innocence, never seeing the difference between to two races. Both of the girls were said to have green eyes, a belief of their father's that they will live on land all of their lives, being wives to human men and raising normal human children. As time grew on, though, both girls grew into two different women; the eldest believing her parents, once she was accidently inked on one day, the other falling forever in love with the Blue and those who lived on it.

Of course, being the rebel that she was, she had fallen in love with a merman, something her father was firmly against, believing that the mixing of a species would lead to an abomination. After separating the two, he had locked his daughter away and had her lover slaughtered. It wasn't until the merman's death did he realize what was growing in his daughter's womb. Terminating the unborn child, he murdered his own daughter, blaming it on the mermen of the port and therefore, erupted the war. Some believe that the girl's body was found and laid to rest in the arms of her lover.

Families were torn apart, daughters running away to save their children, their significant others, and more often than not, mothers would run with them, hoping to help out whenever they can. Sons who turned from their fathers would be forced to leave the port, their "crimes" not as serious as the females. Hybrid children who had escaped the dangers of the womb were ridiculed, tormented, sometimes kidnapped, murdered, or sold off for evil plans.

Those who enter the port must immediately make their alliance with either of the sides, but to be wary of the other because no kindness or mercy would be allowed. This made trading very difficult, especially since both sides basically need the same things. Not to mention, really stressful and it promotes thievery amongst others. After all, when you can't get what you want, next best thing is to steal it. That's where a lot more problems occur. A never ending vicious cycle.

A/N: It's short, yes I know. But the upcoming chapters are going to be wonderful, I promise you that. After all, some old and new faces will be showing up in later chapters. Please review.


	26. Chapter 26

Chapter Twenty-Six

Disclaimer: I don't own OP.

A/N: -dons headband and begins furiously typing away- I CAN DO THIS! I'd like to thank Deathshark for everything. Without her, I'd be forever stuck in this rut I call a writer's block. This chapter is dedicated to her. And also, this is a crazy but very romantic idea but it just came to me so I hope this will be good.

A shrill bird call rang out as Niri looked at Tai. After filling her in on the details of the history, he had left her speechless. "And so that's how it started?"

"Well, here, yes. But there are fights like this all over the Blue."

Chewing on her lower lip, Niri's head swam. "I hadn't heard of anything like this in the East Blue, from my home."

Tai just shrugged. "Then maybe you lived under a rock." His head perked up as a light drumming noise filled the air. "Is that today? I had forgotten." Standing up, the merman brushed the sand off of his shorts before holding a hand out to the private. "Want to see something special?" Without waiting for an answer, the great white man pulled her from her sitting position and dragged her down the beach. As the drumming grew louder, Tai's speed increased. Whatever it was, it was filling him up with enthusiasm.

As the two stopped, he pointed into the water were two figures stood waist deep in the glittering waters. A human woman in white gazed up lovingly at a mermen, a clownfish breed, as he returned the gaze. This was a special wedding ceremony held in the port between a human and a fish person. The bride held a handful of dirt, rich in color; the groom holding in his hand some water. As words passed between them, their hands moved closer to each other. When the special kiss came, the bride was to slap her hand on her husband's so the dirt and water became mud.

"This is special, another symbol of hope. You see, nothing can grow in just dirt and nothing can grow in just water but when you combine the two, anything can grow."

"Including love," the sharpshooter said, cheeks dusted red. Oh, it was a romantic idea.

Applauds rang out through the air as bells rang loudly, only to be cut off by the sound of a gunshot. People ducked, the bride scream as she clutched onto her husband. Niri tilted her head to see where the gun shot came from, only to see a group of fish men and women standing around, all with hungry grins on their faces. A tall man stepped out from the group and pointed a webbed finger at the groom. "You disgust me! Have you no pride and honor for being a merman? You disgrace our kind by marrying a mud-girl. Despicable!"

He was tall and lanky but Niri knew never to judge character by looks. He could be fast for all she knew. Stripped hair, white and blue, the braid behind his ear, a wicked tattoo on his chest, this guy was nothing more than trouble. Wishing she had her father's gun, she stood up, looking right at the leader. Baggy pants, red sash around his waist, two spiked wrist cuffs, this man was a fighter. Tai grabbed her arm to pull her away but Niri slapped away his hand, glaring at the leader. He had no right to interrupt this wedding, no right to call the bride a mud-girl, no right what so ever.

"Grim!" All heads turned to another man, looking slightly older than the Blue Shark leader. The sunlight shone on him, his white scars and burns more prominent in the light as he stood proudly on the other side of the married couple. The groom looked relieved as he picked up his bride and carried her to the bank, holding her in his arms tightly.

The leader, Grim, just grinned, his pointed teeth looking fierce. "Well, well, well, Old Man, you show your face. Tell me, how does it feel knowing another muddling has joined your group?" Hazel eyes narrowed at Grim. "Did I offend you? My apologies, Old Man." Grim mock bowed and tilted his head, motioning for his group to back away. "Next time, Genghis, you stand in my way, I kill you."

Genghis, who Niri took as the leader of the outcasts, merely sighed sadly as the renegades fled the scene, one bickering about how they didn't torment anyone. "That's Genghis, he's our protector. He's one of the oldest in our little outside village."

Shocked, Niri turned to Tai with wide eyes. "What?"

"He was a kid when the feud happened, supposedly saw everything."

As Genghis turned to walk away, Niri ran up to him. "Wait, please stop." As the shaved head man turned, Niri put her hands to her knees and lowered her head, trying to catch her breath. Once she felt a little bit of air enter her lungs, she looked up at him. "I'm from the World Government. I'm here to help."

A small smile appeared on his lips and he nodded. "Good." Looking at the horizon, he quickly calculated the time. "Meet us all at Ree's tavern. My sister will find you and escort you there. We have much to talk about, Marine."

Niri nodded and watched as the leader walked away. The bride looked over at her husband and wide smiles quickly appeared on their faces. They wouldn't have to spend the rest of their lives in fear and terror anymore. Looking over at the Great White merman, Niri rose an eyebrow. "Who's Ree?"

Tai put an arm on Niri's head and leaned, pissing the sharpshooter off as she kicked his leg. "She's a tavern owner and friend to both sides. You see, she opens up the tavern during the day for humans but at night for mermen. She has a secret room downstairs where we drink and have a good time so none of the humans find out. Her son, Charley, he keeps a look out some nights when the human's get suspicious," he said, backing away to rub the bruise forming on his calf.

Looking at the retreating merpeople, Niri narrowed her eyes slightly. _I wonder if I should call Siamon about this._

-.-.-

"We should strike now!"

"And let the humans come in defend their children, I think not."

"Ever more the reason why to attack now, while we still can!"

"After Genghis saw us? No! That would be suicide!"

"QUIET!" Everyone who had been bickering turned head to Grim who was sitting in a window, his fists clenched. "They have a Marine with them."

"Great, see? They already suspect us. We should-"

"There is only thing we should do." Grim grinned at looked at his group. "Kidnap this Marine and use them to kill all of the humans and hybrids before killing themselves."

"If they're merman-"

"Then the like humans and are for hybrids. Either way, it's shameful. Every human and every hybrid must die for the purity of our species!" Grim shouted, standing and raising his fist, his group shouting along and raising their fists as well.

-.-.-

First, it was just a "stop the two from fighting" mission, now it's turned into a war. This wasn't her field of expertise, this was something more suited for someone else. "Hell, the Baron could do this job better than I could." Sighing, Niri tucked her hands behind her head and looked up at the ceiling above her. Soon, darkness will rule the day and a Great Barracuda woman will come and get her to sneak her into the human village and discuss the situation. As if life wasn't any better.

Feeling her ribs with her fingers tenderly, the Marine began to wonder if she should have had that doctor look at them. Maybe the mermen have a special herb that fixes bones! Wait, no, most fish have cartilaginous skeletons. Growling, Niri sat up and looked down at her toes, spreading them out and wiggled them. Curling them, she looked at the door and began to think. If the group of renegade mermen were so anxious to attack humans, then why did they claim honor?

Siamon had once told her in their sparring matches that honor came from defending home, beliefs and those who could not defend themselves. "Too bad they don't see honor like he did." That's when the idea hit. Why not have him come over and help? Wait, no, he was busy. From what one of her commanding officers had said, he was on a yearlong mission in East Blue, something about finding a group of pirates claiming to be under the flag of Gol D. Rodger. Completely bogus in her opinion.

Her doorknob rattled, causing her hand to fly to her father's gun. Tensing up her muscles, she waited as the door slowly opened. "You're the Marine?" The woman who answered was pretty, reminding Niri of her mother with her green eyes and blonde hair.

Warily of the woman in red, Niri nodded. "I am; you are?"

The woman in the door way smiled. "I'm Gwen, Genghis' sister."

A/N: Alright, a long wait but hey, I had major writer's block. Thanks again to Death shark for breaking the curse, I owe you big time. Anyways, review please.


	27. Chapter 27

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece.

A/N: Took a break. Was writing a Valentine's fic but due to other implications, I hate to cut idea short. I'm still writing it mind you, it just won't be special now.

"I don't believe they would do such a thing. They shouldn't be allowed to do anything!"

"And how are we to stop them? They're stronger than the village combined and plus, we're not just dealing with them but the humans as well! We can't defend ourselves against both if both should attack!"

"BOTH OF YOU SIT DOWN AND CALM DOWN!" A small plump woman stood in between two mermen, her hands gripping each of the tall men's collars and sitting them down roughly. "Now, you know that you're not supposed to be in the human village. It's even a wonder that we're not caught now!" A heavy footstep on the ceiling above them made her look up before nodding to herself. "Now, shut up while we find a solution, or do you two want to be thrown out?" she threatened, cracking her knuckles. Both mermen gulped loudly before nodded.

The door in the back of the room opened slowly as Gwen appeared, her hazel eyes glittering in what light was in the room. Nodding knowingly to her brother and to the woman, she stepped aside to reveal Niri. "Marine?"

"It's about time some decent help arrived." Tai, who had been sitting in the back, currently being glared at by a human male just laughed. "Welcome, Marine, to our dysfunctional port. Charley, we need you to stay watch a bit longer."

The man who had arrived with Gwen and Niri nodded, his dark green eyes closing. "Mother." Something about the tall human brought comfort to the sharpshooter.

Boot steps could be heard traveling up the hidden steps, across the empty public tavern and back outside. Genghis stood from his seat and waved a hand to one near him for Niri to sit as his sister sat at his side. "We are in desperate need for your help, Marine."

Before sitting, the private set her father's gun on the table in front of her and sat. "As the one intervening this catastrophe, I need to know every detail." Looking over at the patrons in the hidden tavern, she could see every detail clearly. Her vision sharpened at a hybrid in a corner, his golden necklace catching her eye. Saw and tiger shark, an interesting combination. "I know what had happened, Tai has told me but I need to know why Grim has decided to branch off and attack his own kind."

Genghis sighed. "No one really knows. He despises anything that even utters the word "peace" between our species."

Gwen sighed after flipping her hair. "He wants the bloodlines to forever stay pure but change is in the air and he won't allow anyone to advance. You saw what he had done at the wedding. Had Genghis not been there-"

"No. In my line of profession, it is my job to shoot those that would be a threat to the innocent. I'm sorry but something else made him stop," Niri interrupted. "What made him stop?"

The two Great Barracuda siblings looked at each other briefly before looking at the Marine. "You're not…"

"This is an assignment that I accepted." Ree walked to the table and set down a mug of ale in front of her. "Thank you." The tavern owner just grunted, rolling up her sleeves of her plaid checkered shirt, taking a drag from her pipe. "I was trained under a merman, one who had known the evils and cruelty of a bad merman. I will not allow any other innocent child, regardless of what they are to go through what he went through." Something sparked in the back of her mind.

"Anyone we know?" a voice asked from the doorway. Ree raised her fists as everyone stood, either following suit or grabbing their weapons. "Easy, easy. We're not here to fight." Two figures came from the darkness, saw sharks the both of them. One was taller, taller than anyone Niri had seen before, dark grey skin, long black hair, a moustache and beard but there was something about him that was disturbing. His eyes, though slightly hidden from his western style hate, Niri noticed quickly, weren't the same. One glass eye, slit pupil maybe, and one normal blue eye. Lowering her father's gun, she took her finger off the trigger and set it on the barrel. Black hat, black shirt, black jacket, black boot, black must be his favorite color, she mused. Even his stone washed jeans were black.

The other was shorter than his companion, his brother from the facial resemblance, this one was the lighter of the two. Light grey, almost silver like skin, new penny colored hair and jade eyes hidden behind glasses. He was almost innocent compared to his brother's darkness. Crimson colored vest on top of a white shirt, silk by the way the fabric lets off light, tan pants and red sandals, the more colorful of the two by far. What was interesting was that he carried one bag for them, probably something useful, if Niri had to guess.

"Tension." The taller looked over at Ree, eye balling her pipe and grinned, sharp teeth bared. "Yes, and here I thought I'd go without." His left hand raised a chewed on cigar.

Niri's eyes narrowed. _He favors his right hand._ Looking at Genghis, she sighed. "Had the Marines known that you hired someone else," she started but shut her mouth quickly.

Genghis nodded. "We need all the help we can get." How did he do that? One moment he was young for his age the next, he looks much older, as if tormented and tired of the war. Looking up at the brothers, he nodded. "Tarlong and Garth Swordblade, we welcome you as well."

The brothers nodded, the dark one leaning against a wall as the other sat nearby. "Carry on as if we weren't here," the taller one stated, taking a long drag from his cigar and exhaling the smoke.

Niri turned her attention away from the brothers. "How old are you?"

"Eighty."

"You saw it happen."

"Yes." He closed his eyes. "When I was barely thirty, my friend took a human for a lover. His lover was the daughter of the richest man here on the island. After killing the two, the heart of some of the human here on the island enjoyed the taste of blood and began to have their own purging system, their own holocaust. For days, I watched innocent by standards slaughtered, hearing mothers scream for their children and the infants smothered. For fifty years, I have tried my hardest and have failed."

"I'm sorry that we were not around to help your friend but we're here to stop it from happening ever again. You have my word as a Marine and as an ally." Niri raised her hand to her heart and made an X on it. "If my word be undone, my blood will run."

A/N: -stretches- Alright, that took longer than need be. Well, it's updated so I'm off again to either draw the crews, finish my other One Piece fic, or go do other important things. Until then, ja!


	28. Chapter 28

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Disclaimer: I don't own OP.

A/N: -yawns- Been watch/reading/playing anything that could be a source of inspiration. From classic books to modern movies to shoot 'em up video games. Guess what, still don't have a good gun fighting scene BUT I have an idea. Then again, that won't come for a while.

The sun glinted on the barrel of the gun as it was raised. Eyes focused in on the target far away, filled with intensity before annoyance splashed their way in. Weight suddenly shifted from the toes to the whole foot as more pressure joined in. Calm and collected turned to anger and irritation as teeth gnashed together, the gun lowered long enough for the body to turn at the reason of the added weight. "Get off of me."

_Crunch_ "I don't think so." Muffled but still, just as annoying. Eyes looked down as teeth chewed another chunk out of the apple in the hand, the other arm resting comfortably on the head on Niri. "You know, little things like this shouldn't annoy you while you're focusing in on something."

"Little things? You're a freaking giant putting all of your weight on me!" Niri growled out, glaring at Tarlong. "Why not go bother Tai or someone else?"

"Tai is with his girlfriend and besides, there is no one in the world I wouldn't want to be with than with you right now," Tarlong said cheerfully, poking Niri's cheek. "By the way, why do you raise on your toes? Seems kind of odd considering that you'd most likely be running in battle rather than resting on your toes like a dancer."

"For your information, I run on my toes, faster that way and it doesn't put as much strain on my heels so that reduces the chances of tearing something important. Secondly, I'm only doing this to get my balance and lastly, I don't think that was any of your business to know!" The sun hid behind a cloud and both raised their arm to see it.

Squinting, Tarlong tsked. "Lost you light."

Growling, Niri switched her gun from her right hand to her left, raising the elbow as the gun stayed pointed at the ground. As the gun raised, the shoulder snapped, bringing the elbow close to her chest as the wrist followed suit. Finally, once her arm was at a good degree, her finger pulled the trigger as her arm whipped, the bullet flying to its target before connecting. "A good sniper doesn't always need the light to hit the target," she said, rolling her shoulder. If she did the same with her right hand, the primary hand, the muscles and joints wouldn't be so sore but since the accident, she didn't risk it just yet. Maybe a few more days…

_Crunch_ "Keep acting the way you do and you'll be nothing more than a common gunslinger." The apple core was tossed to the side before a bang rang out and the core fell to the ground in two pieces. "Try something that won't strain your body."

Raising her gun, Niri aimed. He doesn't need two ears, does he? A silver hand set itself on the gun as she sighed, holstering the memento. "I really wasn't going to do it." Niri looked up at Garth as his eyebrow raised. "What, you know I wasn't going to." The eyebrow lowered but his jade eyes narrowed. "Fine but only the tip, jeez." Garth sighed before closing his eyes and rubbing his forehead. "Oh no, do NOT compare me to him!" His eyes opened, barely. "What?"

Laughter rang out. "Well, can you blame him? The two of you are childish sometimes."

"Not you too, Tai!" The great white just laughed louder. "Out of all the mermen in my life, you three constantly bug me, why is that?"

"Just lucky I guess." Tai dodged a kick to his shins before putting a hand to her forehead, making sure she's pushed back as her arms and legs swung wildly. "Come on, even you have to admit that it's true."

"I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!"

"Then who's going to marry my bride?"

Arms stopped swinging as two hands rested on his wrist. "Bride?" Looking up at the tall man, Niri's eyes widened. "But you can't marry so young! You're my age!"

Tai laughed loudly and lowered his hand to hold his sides. "Your age?" Tears flowed from his eyes as he caught his breath. "Hardly. I'm at least ten or fifteen years older than you." Niri's jaw dropped, her eyes went wide and her shoulders slumped. And of course, Tai's laughter increased dramatically.

"How can that be?"

"Mermen age differently. We look younger than we really are. Growing up, we age normally but after reaching a certain point, puberty, we age slowly. Even hybrids have that ability, so it seems. And you thought I was your age," Tai snickered before erupting into laughter.

Niri threw a swift kick at his shin and glared at him as he hopped on one foot. "While I'm here fighting not only humans but mermen as well, you have the audacity to go ahead and tell me you're getting married now?"

Tai rubbed the back of his head. "It's not like I can cancel it now that Oceanus is going to be here."

Garth looked over at Tai with wide eyes as Niri blinked and tilted her head. "Who?"

"Oceanus, a catfish merman. He's the wielder of the Bite of the Shark. He's one of the strongest mermen alive. He's coming here to help stop the fighting, considering that the next in line for the dirk is here in this port," Tai said matter of fact. "Our strongest here to help stop the fighting, this will be the best wedding ever!"

Garth sighed. "Tai, even if the fighting does end, it will only be for this port, not the world," Niri said, lowering her eyes. "My commanding officers, they've said that there are wars like this all over the Grand Line. If this one is stopped, that's just one out of a lot." Tai and Garth looked away as she sighed and closed her eyes. She shouldn't have said that but then again, it was the truth and even though it hurt, it had to be said.

Leaving suddenly, Niri ran to the human village. If there was one person she needed to talk to, she'd have to borrow a Den Den Mushi.

-.-.-

After much convincing, and pulling a few strings, Niri finally got hold of a Den Den Mushi. It may not be of regulations and could easily be tapped but Marines were taught code. Tapping the snail awake, she dialed in the number. Naturally, like any Den Den, it rang but the voice on the other line didn't sound pleasant. _"What?"_

"I need to talk to a friend of the WGM. Could you patch me through to the Bloody One? But I do need some privacy, mind you," Niri said, trying to sound as ditzy as she could. "He'd be somewhere around Tristram, if not by any bar."

"_No one by the name WGM. Wanna try again?"_ the voice growled out. Probably interrupted something, oops.

"Oh then it's Gull." Of course, use the birds, again. Rats with wings, nasty gulls.

The line clicked before the Den Den made a meru meru sound, signaling that the line was being transferred. Hearing another click and a humming noise, she knew they were tracing for tapped lines. _"Tristram?"_

"I'm looking for the Bloody One."

"_Name?"_

This is what she really hated. Seems that the name from the academy stuck, all thanks to Baron. "The Princess." That name again, why was that name following her?

Line clicked again and the humming noise ended. Line was clear and secure. Perfect. _"Lo?"_

"Baron, Niri. I need some information on a few things."

"_And you could call reference because?"_

"Because that would be a waste of valuable time when I could just talk to you and get it faster. After all, you've got access." She sighed. "I need to talk to Siamon, is there anyways that you could direct this line to him?"

She heard him laugh at the other end. _"No can do, he's running his own mission and has one of your friends with him. He's running the kid to death."_

"GOOD! Ashton needs his ass kicked and I'm glad Siamon's the one to do it!"

"_Stand down."_ Niri tensed up, squaring her shoulder and keeping her feet together. _"What could you possibly talk to him about that you can't with me."_

Being completely serious, the sharpshooter sighed. "With all due respect , sir, it's his business only." She looked away before remembering the two Genghis hired. "But you can help me. Can you run a background on two hired help? Tarlong and Garth Swordblade. I have a feeling they're closer to this than the rest of us here."

Baron made a noise over the Den Den Mushi. _"Alright, call back in a few days, I'll have it for you then."_

"Sir!" She saluted but then stopped. How the hell would he know if she saluted or not. Foolishness. "I need one more thing from you, I need information about the Bite of the Shark."

"_The dirk?"_

"You know about it?"

The Baron laughed. _"Can gull's fly? Listen, the Bite of the Shark is an old artifact dating back to the first merman, a saw tooth shark. It was originally his nose and when he died, humans made it into a blade, a dirk that had been passed down through human lineage. But mermen took it back after a battle and it's been passed down to the strongest of mermen. I don't know who has it now but-"_

"I do. That's all I needed to know. Thanks, Baron." Hanging up, she grit her teeth. This mission was no longer a war, no longer a feud to her, but now a chance to make sure that dirk didn't get possessed by Grim.

A/N: Took me a while but then again, I've been doing other things. Anyways, review please.


	29. Chapter 29

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Disclaimer: I don't own OP.

A/N: Thank you for your reviews. Don't worry, the action will pick up in this chapter. Anyways, sorry for the delay on the updates, I was kinda busy looking up references, been playing FPS games for research and I believe I have some great gun scenes. Here we go now. ENJOY!

As the sharpshooter left the tavern, she looked up to the sky, ignoring every glare and hateful remark thrown at her. Something thumped in her body but she just put a hand to her belly before running it to her back, rubbing the small of her back before lowering it as she went to the dock, sitting on the edge at the end. With her toes hovering above the waters, she sighed.

Without warning, a hand shot out from the waters and pulled her under, ripping part of her skirt she was wearing and banging her head on the edge of the dock. Kicking away the hand that grabbed her, Niri swam to the surface and took a deep breath before swimming to the shore. This was not good. Panic flew through her as she remembered the storm she and Chris were in. Freezing, her body treaded water as her mind filled with the image of the giant eye that stared at her. The hand pulled her under again, causing her to scream half way through, getting water in her lungs. Covering her mouth as the hand pulled her down deeper and deeper, she squeezed her eyes shut. If she were to go under any more, the air in her lungs would escape from the pressure.

The salt stung at her eyes as she opened them to see her foot tied to an abandoned anchor. Panic sank in more as she swam down to free her foot. The one who pulled her down laughed. Merman, probably one of Grim's group. Ripped up pants, no shirt but shark teeth tattooed into his skin. The merman was tall, from what she saw, sort of blue colored skin but what was shocking was that this tuna man was missing his fins on his arms. Scars were shown but she couldn't help but wonder if he went through the same treatment as Siamon.

Bubbles escaped from her mouth as she tugged at her leg to get free. "No use getting free. You're stuck in there. Too bad Grim can't use you like he wanted but if all goes well, it won't matter anyways." He laughed louder as her body floated up, her hands over her mouth to prevent anymore bubbles flying out. Her eyes went wide though as she spotted something. Red, transparent and quickly dispersing. This was not good. She tugged her leg once more before releasing all of the bubbles in her mouth, screaming in them, praying someone would save her.

Niri's lungs burned as water filled them more. The merman watching just laughed more before swimming away, probably going to tell Grim the news. Quickly losing consciousness, Niri untied her wrap around skirt, thankful for wearing her bikini, letting it float through the water. _Find me…_ Darkness filled her head as her eyes closed once again, seeing nothingness of the unconscious mind.

-.-.-

"DAMMIT!" Tarlong shouted, kicking a rock as his brother sat in a branch, watching him. "You'd think that there would be something going on. If Grim is going to strike, wouldn't it be soon?" Garth merely shrugged, sighing and leaning back against the trunk of the tree. It did seem odd that Grim had backed away so quickly.

Tarlong sat down and thought long as hard. If Grim hasn't hit by now, shouldn't he be attacking soon? Without warning, someone whooped and hollered, pointing to the horizon. The brothers looked up to see the angelfish hybrid before looking to where she was pointing.

Swimming fast, a shadow in the water sped its way to the port, quickly rising to the surface. A fin protruded from the water as a bald head rose, scales sparkling in the light as water splashed around. Proud lines of the forehead and eyebrows over dark blue eyes, making what little could be seen seem dark and mysterious as the merman quickly swam to the beach. As crowds of hybrid children came near the waters, they were quickly drawn back by the arms of their parents. Standing tall at eight feet, the merman stepped of the white sands, his webbed feet sinking in as water fell from his person.

Tarlong bit the butt of his cigar and spat out what had broken off. He knew the stories whispered amongst the species, that the last catfish was protector of their relic. "Oceanus, keeper of Bite of the Shark." The catfish man looked over at the saw tooth, his eyes narrowed ever so slightly. Webbed ears, gills on the back of neck, all covered by heavy scales. Catfish whiskers seemed like a mustache as a pointed beard curled itself at the tip as it dried.

Genghis quickly joined the group, extending his arm to clasp Oceanus's. "My old friend, it has been too long," his said, a smile on his face before it melted into a frown. "I am upset about the circumstances of your visit though. I assure you with a Marine here and hired help, this will be resolved quickly."

Oceanus nodded, his eyes looking around. "If I am to keep the dirk safe, it had better be." A frown settled on his lips before looking at Genghis. "I do not see her though."

"Her?" Genghis turned away and looked around as well. "She would have been here by now."

Garth nudged his brother with his toe. The two looked at each other before the mute raised his head, sniffing the air. Tarlong spat out chunks of his cigar and followed suit. "There's a smell in the air."

"I smell it too." Tai closed his eyes and took a whiff of air, moving around to find its source. "It's blood."

Genghis' eyebrows furrowed. "We would have none if someone was hurt."

Tai shook his head. "Not if they were in the water." Running into the shallow waters, he dove down, swimming as the scent grew very strong. It came from the water and it was on Oceanus. Tai quickly rose to the surface but kept moving. He, like many of his species, feared death if they stopped moving while in water. "It's from here!"

Veil was the first to jump into the waters, swimming to the bottom quickly before catching the scent and swimming off to find it. Many ran to keep up with him as others followed behind, keeping to his tail. As the tiger/saw tooth merman edge closer to the source, he stopped quickly, a forcing ramming into his side. A tuna man laughed as he swam away from the one he hit as he was quickly backed up by Grim's group.

Grim grinned as he looked at those in the water. "So, you followed it too. Amazing what a little bit of human blood will do." Veil bared his teeth, bubbles leaving his mouth as he growled. "Testy testy, aren't we. You see, I was a little upset that the capture wasn't exactly as planned but you win some, you lose some and with a Marine out of the way, I no longer have to deal with the law bearing down on my neck."

Veil snarled as he swam to Grim quickly, catching the blue shark at the shoulder. The two swam in circles, one trying to pull the other off. Waters above splash, disrupting any reflection the surface would have given as it ran red. Tai swam away from the two fighting sharks, hurrying off to find the blood. Leaving the squabble behind, he reached the edge of the dock, his foot brushing against something. Looking down her saw ebony flowing every which way as hands were raised to try to reach the surface.

Swimming to Niri, Tai knew that she was running out of time. If one was unconscious under the water, it would be a matter of seconds before the body would try to breath. His bride forgive him, he knew it had to be done. Pressing his mouth against Niri's, he breathed air into mouth, trying for it to reach her lungs. If she could cough up what water she had and regain consciousness, she wouldn't be in so much danger. Nothing. Trying again, he held her close, his arms pushing in her ribs for her lungs to respond. Her eyes flew open as the pain of her broken rib flared.

Breaking away, Tai let Niri hold air in her hands as she coughed the water in them. A splash was heard as Garth and Tarlong joined Tai and Niri. Garth quickly worked on the chain and Tarlong tried the shackle that held her ankle. Niri watched, her hand over her mouth and nose to hold in air. Chinks could be heard as Tarlong grabbed her leg and lowered her down, seeing if that would help his brother. Niri let out a strong of bubbles as panic swarmed through her body. "Don't do that."

"I'm sorry that I scared her but she needs to hold still," Tarlong growled out. Garth rolled his eyes and slid a knife in the shackle, wedging the clasp open little by little. "Give her air." Tai looked over at Niri who just shook her head, keeping her hands firmly over her face. Finally, after some time later, her foot was free and as they swam to the surface, the blood had begun to reach them.

Niri hit the surface first, taking in a big gulp of air as she tread water, her body exhausted. Tarlong grabbed her arms and wrapped them around his neck as he swam the two of them to shore. "Little piece of advice, girl. Shave your legs," he cracked, snickering to himself as nails dug into his shoulders and a knee drove itself in his back.

Gwen reached out to Niri and helped the girl to her feet before wrapping her up with a warm blanket. "We have to warm you up," she murmured, rubbing her webbed hands up and down the sniper's arms. "You three, go help the others."

"What's going on?" Niri looked around from the siblings to the brothers and Tai before looking at the unfamiliar face. "What's happening? Answer me. What's going on?"

"War." Gwen looked to the chaotic waters as it foamed with bubbles and blood. "We just went to war and there is no turning back now."

Niri looked on. "You've been at war for a while, though."

"This no longer concerns the humans of this port, this is our war."

A/N: UGH! I HATE WRITER'S BLOCK! But I got out of this rut quickly thanks to some help. Thanks BB. Anyways, I want to hurry up with this fic because if I time this just right, I can start the horrible 16th year for Niri in twelve days. Alright, review.


	30. Chapter 30

Chapter Thirty

Disclaimer: I don't own OP.

A/N: Thank you for the reviews. Was typing this up and all I could think about was the soundtrack for Inuyasha: Affections Touching Across Time.

The two fighting sharks thrashed about from the shallow waters to the beach. "You stupid hybrid!" Grim had thrown Veil to the side, gripping his shredded shoulder. Veil, missing a few teeth, looked up at the small gang leader as he spat out blood. "You'll pay for this."

"Just be glad I'm a pure shark!"

"We'll see if you bleed like one!"

-.-.-

Garth tossed Niri her gun, watching the girl catch it with her finger in the barrel before flipping it, catching the butt of the gun as her hand rested comfortably in the grip and her finger on the trigger. Since the rescue, she had a sense of fire in her, one that burned brightly in her eyes. Looking at her father's gun, she closed her eyes and said a quick prayer to her late father. A hand settled itself on her shoulder, causing her to turn around.

"Child, you have no part in this."

Niri glared at the catfish and curled her lip. "Whether I have a part or not is not important now, he tried to kill me and for that, I must repay him." She moved her shoulder abruptly and looked away. "Besides, I swore to help out those of this port. As a Marine, I am bound by my duty and promise but as a person, I will do this just to finally stop this pointless bloodshed."

Oceanus sighed. "Then I have no choice than to join you and the others."

Tarlong spat out part of his cigar. "And why you, a being like you joining us?" He looked over at Niri who had an inquisitive look on her face. "This man is the last of the catfish kind, the guardian of the Bite of the Shark, and if memory serves, he is-"

"What matters of importance of my past are of none of your concern, boy."

Both mermen glared at each other before Niri stamped her foot with a huff.

"Unload some testosterone somewhere else. As for me, I'm going to kill Grim."

"Whoa, hold it, wait for us!"

-.-.-

Ree pulled apart two fighting fish and slammed their heads together before glaring down at them. "Stop this stupid fight between our two races!" Both the Oscar Cichlid and Red Belly Piranha looked down at their webbed toes. It wasn't everyday a woman much shorter than them scolds them.

Snarls and splashes were still heard at the two sharks fought tooth and nail against each other. The waters red with blood as parties on both side have stopped fighting. Ree and her son rounded up all that were still fighting and had knocked some sense in those that they find before bandaging them up only to look back at the frenzy in the shallow waters of the shore.

Charley looked over to a crunch he heard, watching as Genghis, his sister and hired help had come running to the battle, the snipers with their weapons in hand before his eyes trained themselves back to the fighting pair. What happened next surprised everyone. Veil, as strong as he was, was thrown from the waters, his back landing hard against the rocks of the beach.

"Veil!" Gwen and Niri rushed to his side as Tarlong rushed to Grim, fists balled as red waters foamed at the new movement. Within a few seconds, both sharks started brutally attacking each other, throwing punches or pinning each other as the fight continued. Tarlong, who had kneed Grim in the belly, wrapped a strong arm around Grim's neck from behind and hoisted the other up off of the water's floor.

As onlookers watched, they witnessed Grim kick behind him, hitting Tarlong in a sensitive area. As Tarlong released Grim to curl up, the blue shark grinned evilly at him, his fist raised to strike down on the wounded saw tooth. "All who stand in my way will die!"

A noise sounding like taunt string was heard out as blood spewed itself out of the newly made wound on his arm. With a snarl, Grim held his arm and looked back at the one who shot him. Garth lowered his crossbow, reloading it quickly and aimed for the other's heart, a heavy glare in his emerald eyes.

Those who knew him well could tell one thing, he was screaming as loud as he could mentally, "I don't think so."

"Garth! No! Stay out of this!" Tarlong shouted once he realized that his brother was soon to be in trouble.

Grim just grinned widely as he walked closer to the younger brother. "So, you would follow your brother to death. How noble." As he moved closer still, Niri stepped in front and held her arms out. "Out of my way, girl."

Niri shook her head and aimed her gun. "I think not."

"Then you die with them."

Genghis grabbed Grim's shoulder and pulled him away, pinning his arm behind him. "You are the one who will die."

"Nice try." Grim's dark eyes looked to the waters before twisting away, grabbing Genghis by the shoulders and tossing him into the waters. "Men! Get them!"

From the waters and the land behind them, a shoal of piranha came out, each to one as the fighting commenced. Some with axes and hammers, other have javelins and spears, all attacking those that still stood.

Dodging the swinging two handed axe, Niri noticed that each of the red belly piranha were in a blood lust. Their frenzy began to look more like a feeding frenzy as those that had been injured or killed were feasted upon. Fearing for her companions, she shouted to Charley. "Gather up your mother and the wounded and head for safety!"

Gwen suddenly appeared at her side, blocking off the blade that would have pierced into the Marine's skull with a curved blade. "Niri, can you get those that go after the retreating party?"

"No problem." Climbing onto the back of a piranha, Niri jumped from head to head, shooting those that tried to get near the two humans that were gathering up the wounded. Landing in front of Ree, she shot one in the face. As he landed backwards, she picked up the heavy mallet and with some difficulty, tossed it, hitting another in the back. "Hurry up and get out of here!"

Not far from the frenzy, Grim walked over to Genghis and held the older man up by his throat. "See what happens when you side with the humans? You die," he sneered, choking the life out of the barracuda. Genghis tried to gather his strength and pull Grim's hand away from his neck but to no avail.

Suddenly he was dropped when blood splashed on his front and Grim held his arm. As the leader of the outcasts put a hand to his bruised neck, he and Grim looked at the one who had shot him. "Your fight is with me, Grim. Leave the old man out of this!"

"All in good time, Swordblade, all in good time."

"That time is now." Another shot rang out, hitting Grim in the shoulder as the blue shark shouted out. Tossing away his gun back to the beach, Tarlong raced to Grim, tackling him as the two swung punches again.

A/N: CLIFFHANGER! –evil laugh- Don't worry though, all will be well soon.


	31. Chapter 31

Chapter Thirty-One

Disclaimer: I don't own OP but I'm starting to wish I do now.

A/N: Alright, here it is, the continuation of the fight.

What was once white sandy beaches had been dyed red from the massive battle on the shores. The grounds littered with bodies as many more were following them. Shouts, gunfire, cries of pain and victory filled the air. The waters were no longer blue but were red as blood, frightening all who saw it. Of course, those still fighting hadn't taken noticed since they were, as mentioned before, fighting.

A shot rang out as blood covered Niri's face. Wiping it away quickly, she looked over at the survivors, disobeying one of the most important lessons of being a marksman: taking your eyes off of your enemy means death. Thankful of her instincts, she raised her father's gun and pulled the trigger. Though it just clicked. Looking back, she rolled away from the hammer that landed where she was before she unloaded the gun of the empty shells, upset that she hadn't had more bullets. "Garth! Reload!" she tossed the memento to the younger of the brother before diving for the discarded gun Tarlong tossed away.

Holding it up, she fired and nearly shouted out in pain. The gun had a big kickback and she wasn't aware of it. Gathering her bearings quickly, she used this to her advantage. Firing off several rounds, she had hit those who sided with Grim and all the while, used the kickback to slam her hand in the faces of those behind her. Garth whistled to her and the two traded guns again. Only a few more left, then they could deal with Grim.

-.-.-

Hit on the shoulder, chest, jaw, arms, ribs and stomach. Hit on the jaw, neck, shoulders and arms. The two seemed to go at it, teeth bared and grunting with each punched delivered. Shouting out loudly, Tarlong dropped to his hand and kicked away Grim before standing back up, wiping away the blood that began to flow from his nose and mouth. Drawing breath, he readied his stance and glared at Grim as he too stood up and wiped away what blood he had.

Both sharks snarled at each other before they raced at each other, their fists raising near their heads before shooting out, making contact with the other's face. Grim had to look away as Tarlong's fist rolling in his skin but the brother moved his head slightly and opened his jaws, sinking his teeth in Grim's fist. Screaming out in pain, Grim pulled his fist in, only making the wound even worse when Tarlong's teeth shifted. In even more pain, the rebel leader began pounding his other fist in Tarlong's face, trying anything to make the other let go.

"Stupid human lover, let go of me!" Now swinging his hand, Grim put a foot to Tarlong's shoulder and pushed with all of his strength before feeling his hand come free, only to be in even more pain. Tarlong wiped away the foreign blood and grinned, snickering as he watched the other look at his mangled fist. Snarling, the blue shark kicked Tarlong as the saw tooth blocked it, his two arms at his side as one curled up near his shoulder and face, the other protecting his ribs and side.

Big mistake. Tarlong gripped Grim's foot and swung him around before letting go, aiming for the beach. Watching the blue shark land with a dust bomb, he grinned again. Walking to the shore, his feet swirled the bloody waters before stepping onto the damp sand, smelling the scent of rust and salt as he neared Grim. Looking around, he saw that Tai was helping several wounded up as Ree, Charley, and Gwen were bandaging who they could. Niri and Garth stood side by side as they both glared at Grim. Oceanus neared the two, holding up Genghis before his sister went to his side and the two carried him to the others. "Look around, Grim. It's finished." Tarlong looked over at Niri and then back at Grim as he grabbed the blue shark by his braid and pulled him up to look around. "See that Marine over there? She's the one you tried to kill and for that, you should be put to death but instead, you're going to prison, once I'm done with you, of course."

Grim looked around for a chance to get free, to do anything, as long as he killed the humans and the hybrids. Raising himself up, he pushed Tarlong off slightly before drawing Bite of the Shark from Oceanus. Drawing out the dirk, he sliced his braid away as he moved away from Tarlong. Everyone near the two immediately backed away. Grim's lip curled into a sneer as he looked at the twenty inch long blade, made of solid bone. This was the nose of the first merman and the blade's barbs had never dulled since then. Gripping the hardwood handle, he could feel the difference between the black leather and shark skin. "So, this is what power feels like." Looking up at Tarlong, he pointed the blade right at his heart. "So tell me, how does it feel knowing that your ancestor's nose was fashioned into such a weapon then pointed right at you? I wonder if it will cut into you like butter."

"Set it down, Grim. You don't know how to handle it."

"SHUT UP! I have the blade now and nothing you can do will ever- AH!" A large thunderous boom was heard as Niri held up Tarlong's gun and glared at the stump that was Grim's arm. "You wench! I'll kill you!"

"I'd like to see you try!" Niri shouted. "You know nothing of honor or pride of being a merman. I know the true meaning and I'm a human girl!"

Grim glared at the Marine before looking over at Tarlong. "Filthy human lover."

Tarlong held out his hand and sighed. Once his gun was in the air, the older Swordblade looked at the rebel leader with pity in his mismatched eyes as he caught the gun with ease and flipped it to hold onto the grip before putting the base of the barrel against Grim's forehead. "If you had known some love for humans, you probably would have lived." Tightening his grip, his finger pulled the trigger as another thunderous boom rang out, only muffled slightly at the beginning.

Genghis let out a long sigh as he watched the body fall over. "It's finally over."

Oceanus nodded and picked up the disembodied hand, prying the fingers away from the handle of the dirk before sheathing it again. Looking over at Tarlong, the two nodded at each other before looking at the others.

"Well, that part's over with." Tai looked over at Niri and raised an eyebrow. The Marine shook her head before drawing he father's gun and pointed it in the bushes that led to the human part of the port. Within seconds, an army of loosely cladded men came rushing down to the beach, stopping short before any of their toes touched the dyed sands. "Humans."

Tarlong grinned. "You speak as if you're a fish."

Tai laughed loudly, his head thrown back as his laughter could be heard in the high skies. "Might as well be."

A human walked forward, trying to ignore the squish of the sand beneath his feet. "We can finally be rid of you all once and for all once we defeat you."

"Yeah, not happening." Everyone looked at Niri as she holstered her gun. "You see, I've been on this port for maybe a week and a half and you know what I've realized? You and Grim are one in the same and so I have concluded this, and since I'm acting as negotiator, you will listen and you will comply or you'll end up like him: You are to be allies. After all, grandparents want to see grandchildren, regardless of race, families need to be put back together and the only way that is going to happen is if you listen to me and you had better listen or so help me, I will de-man every single one of you right here and now and don't you dare say I can't because I'm ticked off and I will, in less than a second."

Tai looked over at Tarlong and the two had a sudden need to cover themselves. "As a World Government Marine, I hereby order everyone of this port, whether they live here or otherwise, to be allies from this day forth. Or so help me, I'll beat every single one of you," she threatened. Looking around, she let out a snarl. "Do you get me?"

"We get you, ma'am," all the humans shouted before running for their lives.

Letting out a breath, Niri turned to the others and grinned. "Well, that was fun."

-.-.-

"Ouch!" A hiss was heard before another one followed closely. "OUCH! DAMMIT! THAT HURT!" Niri shouted at Oceanus as he prodded her ribs.

"Fixable." Putting a hand to the broken ones, he quickly mended the broken bones and poked the ribs again. "Fixed."

"How…?" Niri poked at her ribs and took in a deep breath, relieved to not feel any pain. "Thanks but how did you do that?"

The old catfish smiled and closed his eyes. "That is a fish tale, meant for fish only." Niri just rolled her eyes.

"Hey." The two looked up to see the Swordblade brothers in the doorway. "We're about to go. We got word that someone is going to hire us soon and so we wanna get out of here as soon as we can."

Niri smiled and stood up, walking over to the brothers before giving them each a hug. "I'll miss you two. Fighting side by side with anyone has never been this fun before, well, except when it's target practice with my commander."

"Yeah, we'll miss you too, squirt," Tarlong said, leaning against Niri again. The girl's face dropped as a frown appeared on her lips and the two began a mock fight all over again. "Come on now, kid, you fight like a girl."

"Like a wha- alright, that's it! You're getting it now!" Niri shouted and chased down Tarlong, glomping onto him before wrapping an arm around his neck and giving him a noogie.

Oceanus laughed as he watched the two with Garth. "The way you three act, you'd think you were siblings." Niri and Tarlong stopped as Tarlong set Niri down on the ground, both looking at each other before looking at the old merman. "Yup, I'd say so."

"I'm an only child and I know that no one in my family, on either side, were mermen," Niri stated.

"You could be." All three of the snipers looked at each other before looking back at him. "Adoption. It's simple. Knick your thumbs and press them together as a blood bond."

The three of them looked at their thumbs before nodding. As Niri sliced her thumb, the brothers bit into theirs. Pressing the wounds together, the three of them had smiles on their faces. "By blood to blood, bound by blood," they heard Oceanus say before they moved their thumbs away. "Congrats. Boys, you have a younger sister. Niri, you, two older brothers."

Feigning annoyance, she sighed heavily. "Great, another fish in the family."

Tarlong looked at Garth and motioned him to the port. "Say, that reminds us…we know this commander of yours." The Marine spun around and looked at her older brother. "We've known Siamon for years." The older brother grinned before he slowly backed away, his hands in front of him. "Now Niri, you wouldn't go off beating up your brother, now would you?"

Without needing an answer, the two ran for their lives as Niri gave chase, willing to hunt them down just for keeping a secret from her.

Genghis sat next to his old friend and the two of them watched the siblings run. "Think they will?"

"She will and she's important to our kind. We have many who prove that fact." Picking up the dirk, Oceanus looked at it to the girl in the distance. "My time's almost up."

"You're sure of this?" His friend just merely looked at him, giving him all that he needed to know. "The world will be empty without you, old friend."

Oceanus just smiled and stroked his little beard. "Yes but another will take my spot as guardian. I've been told this. I trust this person with my life and I know that they'll do the world proud." Looking over at Genghis, the catfish smiled, his true age starting to show. "I'll need some time alone before I go though." His friend just nodded and stood up to leave.

A/N: Alright, ALMOST done with this arc completely. Please review.


	32. Chapter 32

Chapter Thirty-Two

Disclaimer: I don't own OP.

A/N: Last chapter of this arc. I'd like to thank all of those who have helped me with this arc because without them, I wouldn't be in this position today. This goes out to you guys.

"Are you sure you can't stay longer?" Gwen and Ree asked, looking at the Marine with hopeful eyes.

Niri shook her head. "No, I'm sorry. I've got to head back to Tristram and fill out my report before the high and mighty men give me another assignment." She looked over at them and sighed before bending to their will. "Fine, I'll stay long enough for a drink."

Sighing, the Marine moved away from the cheering women as they planned out the night's event. Shaking her head, Niri peered off into the distance, seeing her brothers leave but her ship within sight's range. No doubt the ship would make port that evening but they wouldn't cast off until the next morning. Nodding to herself she walked past the chatting women to the village. All was at peace again. Mothers were reunited with their daughters and fathers marveled at either the prettiness of their daughter's children or the way the boys carried themselves.

Seeing the men hold their daughters suddenly struck Niri's heart as she felt her eyes sting. Wiping away would be tears, she passed by the joyful reunions to head to a trade post. Walking in, there were more people inside, some buying gifts others buying imported foods since the family grew bigger. Walking to the counter, she reached over and grabbed the Den Den Mushi, waking up the streaked mollusk before entering a number.

Hearing a click, she said one phrase: "All is well." Hanging up the snail, she set it back where it belong and turned, looking at those who crowded the small post. Someone laid a cold hand on her thigh. Jumping, she saw it was the angelfish who held a huge smile on her face. Grabbing Niri's hand, she raced outside, away from the families and people, away from the village to a cottage in between both areas of the port. Pushing the girl o the door, the angelfish smiled before skipping away.

Looking at the cottage, she took a deep breath before walking up to the door, knocking gently. The knock was soon answered of course but to a fit of coughs. Worried about the person inside, Niri entered quickly and rushed to the aid of a fallen Oceanus. Grabbing the older man by his arm and with some help, she pulled him up into a sitting position before sitting down next to him. "Are you okay?"

Oceanus just smiled, his catfish whiskers moving with his upper lip. "Child, do you believe we all have a purpose?"

Niri blinked. "My father said we did and that we never know what our purpose is until we're halfway through the reason," she said, looking at him questioningly. "Why do you ask?"

"My purpose in life is to carry this blade around, to be its guardian and protector," the catfish man said, pulling out the blade. "But after running into a friend, she and I were told by a seer that we would be meeting the same person, years apart mind you, but for me, this person would be my successor. You're birthday is soon, correct?"

Nodding, Niri paused for a moment, counting the days. "Few days from today. Why?"

"I have a gift for you."

Raising her hands, the Marine waved her hands, a nervous smile on her face. "No, you don't have to, sir, I don't expect any presents anymore, especially from you, sir."

The catfish gave a knowing look. "Yes but if this were any other time, you'd accept. Especially if it was from your many fathers."

"Fathers?" Niri looked away and a smile appeared on her face. Naturally, there was Giles, her biological father but there was also Baron and at times, her "uncle" but until most recently, Siamon. "Well, I suppose so."

Thinking back, she remembered the shark ruffling her hair whenever praising her but the bond they grew was more than a commanding officer and a soldier, it was of friends and then to a paternal bond. Siamon did stand up for her and her father on many occasions but it did seem a bit odd that when she had her visitor, he was the one who helped her out the most.

He taught her some techniques while shooting, though she hadn't used them until she fully mastered them like he had. Smiling, she suddenly felt the need to see her fishy father. Looking back at Oceanus before letting out a sigh. "Alright, you're right so tell me, why do you bring up my birthday?"

The catfish held out the dirk before him and pulled her hand near, placing the blade in her open palm. "I have done all I can in this world and have lived out my life in many folds but still, I couldn't until I met you." Releasing her hand, he watched as she moved her hand back, holding the blade very gently. "I have said my goodbyes and leave you with this task. You are to give it to the merman you believe is most deserving of it. Never let it fall into the hands of a human, save for you and only you. This dirk is our last relic and we wish to keep it preserved so I ask that you make your choice wisely."

Ghosting a finger over the barbs as she ran it up and down the blade's length, Niri looked at the old merman. "So does that mean that Siamon is out of the question?" Oceanus just nodded. Looking down at the blade, she thought of how she could hide this on her person. "To the most deserving." Looking up at the merman, she nodded at him and smiled. "I'll take care of it."

"Be careful, child." Waving his hand away, he dismissed the Marine girl before leaning against the wall. "I feel tired. Leave me to rest."

Standing, Niri held the blade carefully, wrapping it gently with a cloth, making sure the deadly barbs were covered. Walking to the door, she stopped and turned around, looking at the ancient fishman. "Thank you, Oceanus, last of the catfish."

Though it was proper to stay to see one's last moments in this world, Niri had been dismissed and due to training, she had to obey even though she felt that it was wrong to leave someone alone while they were so helpless. Leaving the cabin, she looked up from her feet, seeing Genghis looking at the cabin, tears in his eyes. Going to his side, Niri set a hand on his shoulder before casting her eyes down, leaving the great barracuda in his thoughts.

-.-.-

Setting the dirk in her bag carefully, she tucked it in with her clothes and ammo, making sure it was covered. Placing her father's gun on the bed, she pulled out her uniform and looked at it. The anchor on the back seemed to be a branding now, telling her of her obligation, her duty, of her life. Though it was nice to get away from it all, even if it was on a mission, she would gladly take more missions like this.

That's when it hit her.

Her birthday was much closer now and what the seer had said now dawned on her mind. Now that she had gained brothers and a group of friends, that only meant that she was even more worried. Sighing, she sat next to her pack and put a hand to her father's gun. "Daddy, did you ever have fears like this? Did you ever think that a seer would change your life in just one prophecy?"

"_Murder and a bloody hand. Watch your actions or you may suffer."_

Looking at her hand, she suddenly envisioned it red with blood. Sighing, she could swear that she could feel the blood dripping from her digits, moving down her arm very slowly, almost tickling. Blinking, the vision vanished but the feeling of having a bloody hand didn't.

A knock on her door made her jump. "Niri?" she heard through the door. As it creaked open, she saw Gwen peek in. "Sorry if I interrupted anything." Sitting, the older woman looked at the private. "Oceanus is dead." Niri just nodded, already knowing the truth. "We're all meeting to drink in his honor. We were going to drink for you helping us but now we have another reason."

Niri held up her thumb. "Too bad my brothers aren't here, I'm sure they would drink as well." She smiled and an evil thought ran into her head but looking back at the blonde woman, she remembered her mother and dismissed the thought. "I'll be there, don't worry. Ship's casting off in the morning so there shouldn't be any difficult."

-.-.-

How wrong she was. Entering the tavern, Ree had opened the downstairs as well as the upstairs so there would be more customers. But sitting at the bar was a white and blue, with red hair, Niri got a nasty taste in her mouth. "Niri! So glad you could make it! Your friend here was just telling us all about you Academy days. Is it true you went out with him?" Tai asked, a little tipsy as he slammed a hand on the uniformed officer on the back.

"Did no such thing. Bret, can I see you outside for a minute?"

As the two Marines walked outside of the tavern, Niri's temper snapped as she grabbed Bret by the collar and slammed him against the outside wall. "What are you doing here? This is my mission and unless I call for back up, I don't need some trigger happy demolition to be here, especially around my family."

Bret broke her grip and straightened his uniform. "Family?" he asked, a grin on his face before he thumbed his nose and leaned in to whisper in her ear. "Sorry to break the bad news but your father is dead, your mother barren and you're without any immediate family." He backed away and raised his eyebrows. "That is, unless you go back to your whore mother."

Seeing red, Niri curled her hands into fists and started beating Bret's face in. Not caring if her knuckles split, if she broke a few fingers or tore muscles, NO ONE said a nasty thing about her mother. After a few well connected punches were thrown, something bashed into her face as she flew backwards. "You want to fight, well come on, girl, I'm not scared of you."

"You should be scared of us," they heard. Looking behind Bret, they saw the villagers looking at the demolition as Ree cracked her knuckles. Gwen flew to Niri side and helped the girl up, wiping her face clean before glaring at the Marine boy.

Bret just grinned. "The World Government rules here so you all do what I say. And I say shove off, fishlings."

Turning back to Niri, his grin broadened before he doubled over, trying to breath as a sensitive area was damaged. "This is my family, idiot." Leaning in his ear, gripping his hair to keep him up, she grinned and whispered: "Fear me, for I am Niri and I have many."

As she tossed him down, Gwen held her hands and clicked her tongue before putting a hand over them. "Who is he?"

"Bret Butler, he's a demolition. Thankfully, demos are easy to come by and are easily disposed of," Niri said, looking at Bret before kicking him so he stayed down. "I don't know why he's on here and until I do, I don't care what you all do to him. Have fun."

The demolition stood up and glared at Niri. "Belay that!"

"Belay?" Raising and eyebrow, the sniper looked at him. "What are you, a captain?" Moving away from Bret to the residents of the port. "You know, Sadie was right about you. You're just a pretty face."

Bret lifted his head and glares heavily at Niri. "You will regret this."

A/N: I meant to put this up earlier today but due to it being my birthday, I was delayed due to having guests, party, and not to mention having the cutest cake in the world, I was hyper active. Anyways, review.


	33. Chapter 33

Chapter Thirty-Three

Disclaimer: I don't own OP.

A/N: If this seems a little rushed, it is because I want to put this up before midnight so I don't miss Niri's birthday.

On the four days that Niri had on the ship on her way from the fueding port to Tristram, she's had to spend it with Bret, after finding out that he too was stationed there as of recently. Keeping a close eye on him, Niri looked up. This was her final day of being on the ship, her final day of being fifteen, her final day of her carefree life. Looking out towards the horizon she slowly ticked away the minutes. Just a few more minutes and she would be sixteen, just a few more minutes before she would lock herself away for a full year so she doesn't kill anyone, a few more minutes of having spent another year away from Aran, her family and Axe. Axe. Taking out his worn letter from her pocket, she traced the scrawl and smiled. His print was never neat, never legible but somehow, she could read and feel his words.

"What's this?" Bret asked as he appeared behind her, ripping the letter out of her hands. "Oh, a lovenote!"

"Give that back, demo," Niri said, reaching to grab the letter. "Hand it over."

Raising the letter above her head, Bret grinned down at her. "I don't think so. You see, you've made my life miserable since the Academy and now I get to make your life miserable." Holding the paper above her, he looked up at it. "And I know just how."

Watching in horror, Niri reached a hand up to stop him but was unable to due to her height. Though the sounds were light and what she saw was little, ever tear and ripped noise she heard tore at her heart. His filthy hands very slowly ripped up her letter from Axe. Holding all the little piece of paper in one hand, Bret walked over to port side and tossed it out into the wind.

"NO!" Niri ran over, reaching out to catch the letter though she knew it was hopeless. Tears falling down her face, she watched as the last piece of paper landed on a wave made by the ship, bearing Axe's surname. So many emotions flew through the sniper as her most treasured object drifted away or sunk to the bottom of the Blue. Falling to her knees, she put her hands to her face, sobbing into her hands as Bret walked off, laughing his head off.

Looking back at the sniper, he grinned. "This is what you get for everything that you've done to me, Princess Sniper."

-.-.-

"Niri? Niri?" A waving hand passed over her eyes before snapping her out of her trance. Looking up at the Baron, she blinked. "You alright?" She shook her head. "What happened?" She shook her head again, walking to her room as she passed by most of the Marines of the base. So far her birthday hadn't turned out to be a good one.

Stopping in an empty hallway, she leaned against a wall and slid down, holding her legs close to her by her knees. Looking at the wall in front of her, she felt a tear fall down her face. An image of Axe came into view, a huge grin on his face as his laughter rang in her ears. Her eyes went wide as a thought ran through her head. Shaking it wildly, she felt the sting of her hair hitting her face violently before she stopped. Stupid idea.

Standing she heard feet come close to where she was and peered around the corner. "No, I said no and I meant no," she said but the smile on her face gave her away as she was greeting by a group of Marines all with wrapped up gifts. "Guys…"

Unwrapping one, she had seen what started to tick her off. "What is this?" This object in the box brought a blush on her face as she quickly covered it back up. Her eyes tightly shut, she shoved the box back. "No thanks."

The Marine who had given it to her just laughed before receiving a handful of Beli from another one. "I told you she'd reject it."

"OF COURSE I WOULD!" Reaching for her father's gun, she pointed it at his feet. "Dance." She began shooting at his feet, watching the man move in wild steps.

"Wait wait wait, come on, Niri, it was just a gift."

"A HORRIBLE GIFT! HOW COULD YOU GIVE THAT-THAT-THAT-THAT-THING! TO SOMEONE?!" she shouted, earning yells from some. Putting her gun up, she looked at the other gifts, not even bothering to unwrap them. "If they are the same thing or are just as bad if not equally worse, I don't want them."

"We don't know what to get you though. You're the only girl."

"SO YOU GIVE ME THAT!?" she asked, pointing at the unwrapped box.

"Well…" They didn't make it that fair as they all ran for their lives in the opposite direction. Niri just shook her head and wandered around aimlessly around the base before stopping at the kitchen. Smiling, she thought about her past birthdays…when her father was alive…

_FLASHBACK_

_A now nine year old Niri sat on her mother's counter as she watched her mother try and bake her a cake. Too bad she was failing miserably. "You know, hun, I don't even know why you ask me to make you a cake when you can just ask Axe's mom to make you one."_

"_But you're my mother and it's your duty and honor to bake me a cake," Niri said, a huge grin on her face._

_Her mother just smiled and shooed her away from the kitchen, telling her to go find her father and to tell him to come home to celebrate with them. Racing from the kitchen of their house, Niri ran all over the island, bumping into several Marines as they wished her a good year after watching the little girl run off to find the General._

_Stopping only once in the middle of the island, she looked up at the sky and then back to the ground. According to her father, she was born on that exact spot and so every year on that one day at that time to the place of her birth. Putting a hand to the ground, she nodded once to herself before running off again to find the one who told her this._

"_Daddy! DADDY!" she screamed at the top of her lung, glomping the man from behind and holding onto him as she nuzzled his cheek. "Hi daddy! Mom says to come home and eat cake." Giles laughed and carried his daughter home as she chanted the birthday song at the top of her lungs as they walked back._

"_Ne, daddy?" Her father grunted, turning his head in her direction. "Will you sing for me this year?"_

"_You know I don't sing."_

"_Please?"_

"_No baby, I'm not singing."_

_ENDFLASHBACK_

Closing her eyes, she could feel her father's hands on her, keeping her steady as they made their way home and she could smell her mother's failed cake before invited Anny over which in turned invited her family, making this one day of the year one of the hectic ones, again.

Looking up at the ceiling, imagining the heavens above her, Niri smiled. "Ne, daddy? Will you sing for me this year?"

A/N: SUCKED but it was a filler. Review.


	34. Chapter 34

Chapter Thirty-Four

Disclaimer: I don't own OP.

A/N: Oh but it's sad when a fic ends. This one is reaching the end of its song and soon, you'll have to tune in for little bits and pieces of One Piece fics that I randomly throw out in between my usual YGO. Don't worry; I give this fic a few more chapters before I end it. Until then, keep reading.

Bret, the stupid demo, had continually bothered Niri from day to day, exhausting the girl as she tried her best to stay away from everyone. Finally sick and tired of trying, she gave up and after being ordered to a meeting, decided since the other regulations didn't count then why should she care? Growling, she put on her cap, she hated the way it feels, and showed up to the meeting, sitting down at a table with a group of acquaintances. Glaring at the demolition on the other side of the room, she sharpened her vision, looking right at him as she imagined him all mangled up and bloody.

Curling up a hand, she missed what one of the superior officers said to her. "Zolaro." No answer. "Zolaro." Still no answer. "PRIVATE NIRI ZOLARO!"

"WHAT?!" Oops. Her face burned bright red as she realized she just popped off to the visiting Vice Admiral Kuro. Standing up from her seat, she silently hoped and prayed for a miracle. Thankfully, Baron, being quick on his feet since he knew the mood, whispered in the Vice Admiral's ear before the two of them nodded. Confused, Niri looked at her mentor before catching sight of his hand on his abdomen, keeping a solid look on his face. Ah, okies, this made sense now. Sitting back down, she pulled the cap low to cover her face as she heard snickering around her.

After the meeting, Bret grabbed her elbow and pulled her to the side. "You know, you're a pain in the neck and so I'm going to have you transfer so I don't have to see your ugly face again."

Gritting her teeth, Niri pulled her arm away. A rush went through her before she curled her hand to be the shape of claws, twisting her hand to face the ceiling and drew it up, catching the side of his face as she felt skin and blood under her nails. "**CAT SCRATCH**!" Turning her hand back down, she caught the same marks on his face, making them deeper as her nails went faster. As he backed away, a hand to his face, blood flowing freely through his open fingers.

Keeping her bloody hand close to her chest, she glared at the demolition, her bloodlust high as she sensed people drawing near to watch the fight. The two stared at each other for a moment before Bret threw a punch. Dodging, she used her other had to catch his marked face again, cutting him from cheek bone to ear. Hunching her back, she let her arms droop as she watched him from under her eyelashes. Not letting him recover, she flattened her hand holding her fingers straight and close together she swiped them across the front of his face when he turned, scratching his nose that would later be a scar on his nose.

One of Niri's previous team mates, Alex, wrapped two arms around Niri, locking his arms around her arms and holding them wide as he locked his hands behind her head. Two others held back Bret as the two gun users screamed loudly, ready to kill each other. The two were pulled away as Niri raised her hips, getting enough lift from Alex's arms holding her own to start kicking at Bret, hoping to at least catch his nose to break it.

Alex moved Niri away before finally letting her go. Grabbing her shoulders, he slammed her against a wall and looked at her. "Stop moving and listen."

Whatever the hammer wielder was saying, the sniper couldn't hear. Her anger and adrenaline was high but she could feel her heart slowing down. The constant ringing in her ears drowned out any noise around her but with her vision sharpened, she momentarily panicked. This was new, but only briefly. She had experienced this before, just a tiny moment, right before her heart stopped. Calming her breathing, Niri shook her head before putting a palm to her forehead. The feeling of being high began, the dizziness mixed with the feeling of an empty head. It was as if hinges were on the back of her head and opened. Looking up at Alex, she could only hear what the ringing let through but it was muffled.

"-do you now get it?" the hammer wielder asked, releasing the sniper.

Niri just nodded and looked away before looking at her bloody hands. Two nails broken and another one hanging just barely. Looking at the other, she watched as it dripped slowly. The smell of salt and rust heavy in the air, the Marine marksman turned away, moving away from the hammer user. Raising her hands, she ripped off the hanging nails, clenching her fists as she looked ahead, walking as far away from the scene as possible.

Putting a bloody hand to her forehead, she began to think. Bret wasn't a friend to her so if she killed him, would she still be in her years of darkness? This was beginning to give her a headache and nothing was making it better.

-.-.-

After washing off the blood and cutting the rest of her nails, Niri sat on Baron's desk as she waited for him. Her body was reacting really oddly and it was beginning to scare her, though she'd never admit it out loud. Putting a hand to her heart, she felt the steady rhythm and closed her eyes, imagining the heart in her rib cage. Maybe it was adrenaline? Chewing on her bottom lip, she opened her eyes, her forehead furrowed. Had to be it; nothing else could fit. Shaking her head, she sighed. This would get some getting used to if she should ever feel like this again.

A spark in her mind made her look up as she sensed someone nearby. Listening intently on the footsteps, she closed her eyes. Heavy but slightly staggering. The smell hit her hard and she had to cough to clear her throat. Alcohol and it was thick. Great, the old man had been drinking again. But maybe she could use this to her advantage. After all, he was an agreeable drunk. Grinning, Niri slid off of the desk and waited, forcing an innocent look on her face. The man was putty in her hands in this state.

Finally the door opened to reveal the drunken Baron. As he hiccupped and looked at her, his blushing face lightened up with a broad smile before hiccupping again. "AH! The Princess." She grimaced and bit back an insult. "What is it this time? More missions? Better guns? Ah, wait, I got it, you need more money." Her blue eyes seemed to turn green at the sound of more money. That would be an improvement on her salary.

Grinning, she shook her head, not wanting to rip off her mentor. "Baron, there is two things, one of them I need to speak to you sober." The drunken captain closed one eye and walked to his desk, sitting in the chair behind the ancient furniture. "You see…I…" words failed her as she looked at the happy man. She couldn't do this. She'd break his heart. As much as she wanted to tell him of Bret, or ask him to issue her a pair of pants instead of a skirt or even ask for a year away from the base, nothing came to mind. "I…" Hanging her head, she sighed heavily. Putty in her hands, yeah right. Not while he was so damn happy. "I wanted to say good night. I'm turning in."

"And not join me in a drink."

She shook her head. "Pass. I need to work on my aim tomorrow before settling down to finish up some paper work." She waved but a hand on her arm stopped her. "Sir?"

The Baron looked sober for a second and pointed to a nearby chair. "Sit." Running a hand through his now balding head, he looked over at her. "We need to talk. Don't you dare interrupt and say I'm not sober." She made a motion over her lips. "Good. First, I'm sick of hearing about you. Tomorrow you're getting pants. That said, I want you to leave the demolition alone." He held up as hand as Niri stood up suddenly, her mouth open to throw a fit and start an outrage. "Hear me out. I've received these complaints from him and I don't like them one bit so I want you in pants and I want you to leave him alone. I have ordered him to leave you alone but I'm afraid that won't be so easy."

Niri sat back down hard and crossed her arms and legs, looking away. "If my brothers were here, they'd tear him a new one."

"As would Siamon but we both know that…wait, brothers? You're an only child." He looked serious for a moment, considering her mother. If that were the case, how would they find each other but Baron highly doubted that. Ignoring the issue for another date, he looked back over at the female. "Listen, we're receiving guests within a few days, which means meetings, lots of them." The marksman groaned. "I know but until they leave, none of this substitute-father/daughter-talk, understood?"

Niri stood and saluted. "Yes sir." The two of them nodded before she turned to walk away. Pausing at the door, Niri looked back. "Sir? When they're gone, could we go get a drink sometime?"

Baron smiled broadly, his drunken state returning. "AGREED!"

A/N: Sorry I didn't update this in a while, had a scare for a bit then dealt with a HUGE virus that destroyed almost all of my files. Luckily I saved my fics on a flash drive. I'm one smart cookie! Anyways, review.


	35. Chapter 35

Chapter Thirty-Five

Disclaimer: I don't own OP.

A/N: ALRIGHT! The beginning of the end is here. Part of this chapter are also in Crew of the Axe, chapter three, owned by the great kilnorc, but with some alterations, after all, I don't own his fic and therefore, cannot put down word for word. Those who say that I did in the past will note that I didn't and that I made changes then as well. Anyways, enough said. Enjoy.

Meetings. She never really liked them, too boring. Even though it was rather important and the higher officers were at the table with her, she just passed out from boredom and snored loudly. Her nose was stopped up again. The commanding officer's eye twitched, "Zolaro...," he muttered. He walked over and leaned in close to her ear.

"PRIVATE NIRI ZOLARO, ATTENTION!" he screamed at the top of his lungs.

The sleeping girl jerked awake and jumped to her feet, saluting. "SIR!" she yelled, her eyes blurry from sleep.

The officer glared at her. "That's the fifth time you've dozed off during a meeting. Tell me, private, why do you keep coming if you're just going to fall asleep?" he asked.

Oh no, please, don't say something stupid. "Because I think I can always be of help in some way, sir!" she replied. Idiot.

The officer nodded, his eyes closed. "Ok then...I know of something you can help with," he said thoughtfully.

Niri blinked. "Really? What is it, sir?" she asked.

-.-.-

Niri frowned as she mopped the floor an hour later. "This isn't exactly what I meant by helping out..." she mumbled under her breath as she moved the mop back and forth. She put the mop in the bucket and looked out a nearby window. Her blue eyes scanned the horizon as she ran a hand through her black hair.

The ocean breezed blew through the nearby trees, making outside look peaceful, a lot better than inside this base, that was for sure. A bird flew by, making a harsh sound. Sharpening her vision, she could see details of the feathers and put a hand to her father's gun. She grinned and patted the firearm that lay in a holster on her belt. She pulled it out and admired it, even as strange as it looked. For a pistol, it had an usually long barrel, along with scope that rested on top of the barrel above the trigger.

Niri smiled as she ran her hand along the barrel, remembering the training her father had given her when she was younger. Everything she aimed at, she hit dead on, even if she was just using a normal firearm.

"Zolaro!"

Niri whirled around and saluted due to reflex, dropping her pistol in the process. Why didn't she sense him before he scared her? She'd have to work on that. The Baron sighed and picked up the pistol, than tapped her on the head with it, "You really need to stop daydreaming and start working harder, Zolaro," he told her in a quiet tone.

Niri rubbed the back of her head sheepishly. "Sorry, sir." She then lowered her hand and looked at the gun, hoping to get it back.

The man shook his head. "Until you do, I'll be holding on this," he said, holding up the scoped firearm.

Niri looked at him in disbelief, "But that's all I got left of my father!" she protested.

The higher officer tucked the pistol into his belt. "I know, Niri, but once you start being more responsible in your duties and not fall asleep or daydream, I'll return it," he said firmly. Niri opened her mouth to complain about it, but he held up his hand stopping her. Damn this stupid arrangement. She's going to make him pay when the visiting officers leave.

"That's final, private! Now get back to work, this hallway won't clean itself up," he yelled at the top of his lungs. Niri shrank back, but nodded and grabbed the forgotten mop that lay on the soaked floor, muttering under her breath as the higher officer walked away.

She could tell that when Baron turned the corner, he grinned. He owes her but right now, all she could do was bite her lower lip and return back to mopping. Looking at the floor, she blinked in surprise before letting out a small scream and slamming down the mop. Baron tracked mud all over the floors and she just cleaned it all up.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't the princess. Oh, are you acting like a slave today? How quant. How about doing my laundry while you're at it too?" Bret sneered, poking Niri's cheek when she passed by him. Arching her hand, she swiped at him, missing him by a few millimeters as he moved away. "Not this time, kitty." Though half of his face were bandaged, he still grinned at her, his once good looks now ruined but that evil glint in his eye still prominent. "Laters, Princess." She snarled but turned away from him as he walked away too. She stopped when she realized his steps were muffled. Looking behind him, there were thick footprints in his wake. Why is this happening to her?

-.-.-

That night, Niri walked to her bunk, sore and tired from all the chores she had done earlier that day. Besides mopping, she had kitchen duty and had to take inventory in the armory, just because the Baron was bored and gave her extra work. Great. "Why did Baron take my dad's pistol? Sure, I wasn't doing what I was supposed to be doing, but that didn't mean he had to take my memento," she asked herself. Gritting her teeth, she swore up and down that the man would have an earful.

As she passed a door, she stopped and turned her head towards it. It was cracked open slightly and she could hear voices coming from inside. She approached the door and peeked in. Inside the room, Baron stood behind his desk, while a person in a dark cape stood in front of him. She leaned in close to hear what they were saying.

"I said it once, and I'll say it again, I'm not giving you any information on that man! I don't care if you have a personal vendetta against him or not, I'm not helping you!"

The person in the cape chuckled and Niri could tell it was a woman. "I...don't remember offering you a choice. However, if you won't tell me..." she trailed off as she pulled out a pistol and aimed it directly at him.

No, this can't be happening! Niri let out a gasp and once again, acted before she thought out her plan. "BARON!" Niri yelled as she burst into the room.

The higher officer looked in shock at the newcomer. "Niri!"

The woman smirked, snapped her fingers and something large and hairy wrapped itself around Niri, holding her in place. Niri's arms flew to the arm, trying to get herself free but it was far too strong for her. "Well, well...how about now? You give me the information or my friend will snap the young one's neck," she threatened.

Baron growled and lowered his head. "Fine..."

He bent down, unlocked a drawer in his desk and pulled out Niri's pistol. Before he could even aim, the woman fired off her weapon and Niri watched in horror as Baron's head snapped back with a large bullet hole in the middle of it. "Fool...should've just given me what I wanted..." the woman hissed, putting the her weapon away.

She turned around and Niri tried to see what she looked like, but her hat and the lighting in the room made it difficult for her to find out. The woman took hold of her chin, "You see what happens when you don't cooperate, girl. Now, _you're_ the one who's going to have to take the pain." she chuckled. Niri opened her mouth to scream for help, but as she did, a sharp pain the back of her neck stopped her and she fell unconscious.

-.-.-

Niri woke up sometime later in a cell somewhere on the base. "What the hell?" She climbed off the cot and walked over to the bars. "HEY! ANYONE HERE!" she yelled. An officer walked into her view, hand on his sword. "Ok, thanks. Um...what's going on, why am I here?" Niri asked him.

The officer looked at her like she had a freakish bump on her face. "You killed Captain Baron, that's why you're here!" he snapped at her.

Niri frowned. "What? No I didn't! Why do you say I killed him?"

The officer folded his arms across his chest. "Because you were found with his body, the murder weapon in your hand," he explained.

"It wasn't me! It was this woman in a cape!" Niri protested.

The officer scoffed. "Yeah, like I haven't heard _that_ one before," he murmured before walking away.

As she watched him leave, Niri felt her eyes begin to fill up with tears and she slid down to the floor. No, she didn't. She'd never kill her mentor, wouldn't even think about it. Wiping away the tears, she suddenly stopped when she felt something sticky touch her face, something on her hand. Holding her hand out in front of her, she said that it was stained red. Blood, Baron's blood, Baron's blood from his body, his dead body. Fresh tears fell from her eyes at a quickened pace.

Thinking back, she recalled every moment up to her being knocked out. Wait…she woke up slightly when they moved her. She remembered seeing the blood coming towards her, soaking her hand already but nothing of the gun in her other hand. There was only one voice then others. Her head snapped up. Bret. He set her up. He must have heard the shoot and came to investigate and saw her.

She swore under her breath and grit her teeth. With tears in her eyes, she threw her head back and let out a hellish scream. She'd kill the woman and then, if she ever saw Bret again, she would get her revenge.

A/N: And there ends that small filler arc. Poor Niri. Well, I guess I have this left to say, there will be more chapters, Niri's prison days. Please review.


	36. Chapter 36

Chapter Thirty-Six

Disclaimer: I don't own OP.

A/N: I have been waiting for this for like…ever since I started this fic. Why? Because all of these ideas in my head just started piling up more and more and they are now being sorted out and some are tossed while only the best are being used. This chapter is slightly dark and angst. ENJOY!

A full night without sleep, she stared at her hand, daring not to erase the mark. For years, she's heard her destiny and had put it off until finally fearing the day of her birth but when nothing had happened, she brushed it off again until seeing Bret's blood on her fingertips. By moonlight, she could see red on her hand as it darkened to a deep, almost black red. Flexing her fingers, she felt that caked on liquid crack and fall in flakes. Tear had stopped flowing long ago. All that remained was an empty shell.

With red eyes, deep bags under them, she looked around, almost observing her surroundings without looking. Looking back at her hand, she balled it into a fist, listening to the crunching sounds before opening her fist, watching the dark material fall. What had set this in motion? Before the academy, she was warned to turn back but after sneaking out to go dancing with Tash and Sadie, she was told that it was too late. What had happened during that time?

Closing her eyes, she tried desperately to remember but it was all a blank. Her mind had been hit hard today and she wouldn't be able to remember for some time. Opening her eyes, she looked up at the stone ceiling, imagining the heavens above. Could he see the truth? Did he know she was innocent? Was he watching the whole time? Looking back to the bars in front of her, she counted the bars quickly as she continued to flex her hand.

Very slowly, she watched the light from the barred window shift from one side of the room to the other before the blue light turned lighter, almost to a white before color turned it a slight pink and finally, reds and orange as the night because day. Still sitting in the corner of the room, she could hear the base around her wake up. From her window, she could hear the village outside start to buzz with life. A life she could never be a part of again. Her mind sparked as she felt someone come near, clanging the lock of the door to the cells before opening the heavy wooden door.

Listening closely, she counted twenty-seven steps before someone stopped in front of her, a bowl in his hands. Setting the bowl outside the cell, he grinned. Niri's eyes narrowed as she heard the retching sound in his throat. Turning her head away, she tried hard not to listen to the phlegm being moved from the back of his throat, mixing with whatever snot he was hacking up and being spat in the bowl. Gagging, she closed her eyes tightly, wishing her mind would stop imagining the sick image.

"Eat up, criminal. Your trial is in a few days," she heard him say before he turned to walk away.

Growling, Niri stood up and raced to the bars, holding them tightly in her hands as she looked towards him. "I didn't kill him!"

Looking back, the Marine just grinned widely. "Sure you didn't. Just be happy you're leaving this place."

"Leaving?" Niri asked, her forehead furrowed. "Where am I being transferred?"

"Grey Water."

As the wooden door closed, Niri fell to her knees. This was it. She was now a criminal. She was being sent to a prison for a crime she didn't commit. Looking at the bowl, she could see the grits with the "special topping" before she picked up the bowl and threw it as hard as she could, breaking the ceramic object, watching the contents slide down the wall. Disgusting man.

Walking back to her corner, she slide back down the wall and stared at the flakes on her hand. Closing her eyes, she felt her head open. Exhausted from not sleeping the night before, of crying herself sick, her breathing calmed, her face relaxed as she leaned her head against the wall.

_Opening her eyes again, she looked around, seeing shadows with red eyes all glare at her before pointing, screaming at her for murdering her commanding officer. Shaking her head, she looked around for anyone to help her. Seeing a shining light, she ran towards it, running into someone before wrapping her arms around the person, her eyes closed tightly. Suddenly, familiar hands pushed her away before eyes narrowed and looked away in shame. 'No, don't leave. Daddy! Wait! I didn't kill him!'_

_All around her, the shadows grew faces. Her family, her friends, all were shouting at her. Holding her head in her hands, she screamed loudly, trying to drown them out but with each pitch she reached, they grew louder and louder, their images growing until she fell into shadow. Falling, she opened her eyes and looked up from where she was falling from before her back hit something hard. Looking, she saw wood around her but looking back up, she saw ground before something closed over her, a lid. Banging hard on the wood above her, tears fell harder and harder as fear closed in around her. 'Let me out! Let me out!'_

'_You killed me.' Suddenly out of the coffin, she turned to see Baron. Shaking her head, his eyes went white as his head flew backwards, a hole emerging before blood trickled down from the wound. Looking back, he stiffly walked towards her, grabbing her arms, shouting at her 'You killed me! You killed me! You killed me!'_

'_No, no, no, no, no, no!'_

"NO!" Panting, Niri drew her legs close. She brought shame to her father, her friends hated her and soon, she'd face the consequences of being framed. Why didn't anyone believe her that she didn't murder him? Why weren't they listening?

-.-.-

For three days, she had slept little and ate even less. For three days, Bret had came to visit her, to taunt her, to torment her before she finally gave up. Eyes once bright were now dull, her coloring grey from the dirt and lack of food and sleep. She didn't flinch as the cell guards grabbed her roughly, hauling her to her feet as they cuffed her, escorting her to the ship yards to send her to a proper prison.

She stopped once, looking over at the small Marine graveyard. There, the newest stone, was his name. They'd never have that drink now, they'd never tell stories of their missions, he'd never tell her a joke, she'd never yell at him, all of that was gone. Empty eyes shone in the light as tears fell once again. Being shoved, she fell to the ground, her chin scrapped on the dirt and rocks before being picked up by her arm and being pushed on. She could tell blood was flowing from her newest wound, that it would get infected with the dirt and rocks in it but her voice left her a day ago.

Once on the ship, Niri was pulled down below the brig, below the galley, to the cells where others were. All of them looked like they could use a bath. Recognizing a few from wanted posters, she knew that most of the were pirates, none of them with any real bounty but the rest looked like petty thieves rather than big fish. As a Marine opened up one of the many barred cells, the first thing to hit the girl was the smell. It reeked off dead animals, of droppings, infection and of unwashed bodies. How could they stand being on a ship with filthy people in cages?

Walking in the cage, she noted that there were only two things in it with her and she'd rather not touch either of them. The cot was as brown as the wood it rested on and a pail in the corner with flies around it was just disgusting. Thankful for not eating, she sighed as she leaned against the bars, feeling the waves of the Blue as they set sail to the next port.

-.-.-

None of them spoke. Most were like her, empty shells with nothing to do but go crazy within their own bodies, some kept their distances, fire still in their eyes, as if they had gone through this before, as if none of this really mattered to them but then, there were the others. They sat around all day, glaring at any who looked their way, spitting at those that never moved or looked away.

For days, weeks, who knew, they were all quiet. An occasional cough would ring out but not enough to be of any use. Food would be brought down but prisoners and guards didn't talk to each other. Without light, they were all dependant on their ears but without any sounds besides the waves crashing on the ship's hull, they might as well have been deaf.

Though this gave her time to think, she'd rather hear something, anything other than the repetition of the waves, the shushing sound of brushes on the wood above them and the sounds in the cells around her. With her dreams haunting her, the sounds of those going crazy around her, Niri stayed still in a little ball.

If anyone had wished ill of her, they had their wish.

A/N: not as long as I would have liked it but there's only so much one can write while their subject is in a place for so long.


	37. Chapter 37

Chapter Thirty-Seven

Disclaimer: I don't own OP.

A/N: Alright, with some help from some sources, I give you this chapter. I know that I'm not getting that many readers anymore and even less reviews but still, I'll write because I'm not finished with this fic. I WILL NOT GIVE UP ON THIS! Anyways, enjoy.

Processed and filed away, Niri and the other prisoners aboard the vessel were towed in line to the island prison. Grey Water was a small island with a huge Marine prison on it. This prison was like most of the prisons on the Blue: big, guards all around, civilians living nearby families of those who worked in the prison. Thrown into a room, many were stripped and given a high pressure wash while others went through a medical filing. Lice, mites, any symptoms of any illness were sent to the washes but those who passed were sent to a different wash. Glaring as they stripped her clothes away, Niri's hands were tied above her head as she felt scalding hot waters on her back before a hard brush scrubbed away layers of dirt and grime as well as skin.

Gritting her teeth, she closed her eyes as her hair was brushed through, falling in clumps from lack of washing. They were ripping some from her scalp without caring if it hurt or not. Once they had determined her clean, they untied her and threw a towel over her so she could be given prison wear. Standing in a room with shivering others, Niri pulled the towel around tighter and looked around. All around her, faces were miserable, some women were crying while the men were furious, holding some of the women close to them. Many of the people in the room had matching tattoos which suggested that they were pirates.

Looking away, she walked to a corner and shivered as her hair dripped onto her shoulders, soaking the towel before her head tilted forwards, her hair dripping onto the floor. Shivering, she could tell that without warming up, they'd all get sick. Closing her eyes, she slid down the wall. Freezing, being set in a room with how many others, she might as well be stuck in the cells again. At least this time they don't stink. Holding her knees close, she looked around, seeing many follow her example.

A door opened, pushing in a few others but those who had been in the room the longest were pulled out, sent to another room. Rolling her eyes, Niri's hands rose as she ran a hand through her wet hair. Sighing loudly, she looked down at her restraints. Narrowing her eyes, she began to think of a way to possibly get free. Picking the locks, breaking the chain, breaking her wrists to slip her hands out… When the door opened again, she was hauled to her feet and dragged into a room with a few others.

The cuffs were taken off and thrown into a box, possibly going to be used for another prisoner. After being tosses a couple of sets of clothes, she was thrown into a cell. Looking around, it was a one person cell with a bunk and a half wall hiding what she presumed to be the toilet and a sink near the wall. Looking across the hall, she saw a guy looking at her with his tongue running against his bottom lip. Half disgusted; she knelt by the wall, changing quickly before folding the towel and setting it on the wall.

Sighing, she sat on the cot and looked at the wall across the room, counting the bricks. How long would she be here until her trial comes, until she gets a hearing? As the guards finished making rounds in her section, all of the hollering started. Someone started yelling out numbers, another yelled out colors and one shouted gender. Going to the bars, she put her arms through and looked around. Above her, there were some doing what she was doing, looking at the newest caged people.

Niri sighed before backing away. Lying down on her cot, she rolled over, staring at the wall before closing her eyes. If she's going to be here, she had better get used to it.

-.-.-

"Zolaro." Her eyes snapped open as she sat up, looking at a guard who stopped by her cell, opening it up. "Free time."

Blinking in surprise, she stands and leaves her cell, watching as he shuts the door before pointing where the others were going. As a crowd formed at the entrance and exit of the building, two inmates had their arms crossed, looking at the others. "There is only one rule for you new guys: you don't make a move, you're someone's little pet." As the doors opened, the crowd began to break up into clumps, many moving to the shadow of the wall, others to try and get as close as a corner as they could.

Guards on the high walls and in the walls, at every ten feet, one in each corner, all holding a rifle in their hands. Niri looked around, wanting nothing more than to get all of this cleared up. Those with similar tattoos immediately grouped together, talking amongst themselves as the bigger people looked around, as if daring anyone to try something. Niri just shook her head and sat at a table, looking away from everyone. Resting a head on her hand, she closed her eyes as the sun beat down on her back.

A cold chill crawled up her spine as she turned, watching a group of girls coming towards her. "You're in our spot."

Niri looked at them before looking back at the table, grinning as she looked back up at them. "Don't see your name on it."

The girls looked at each other, some crossing her arms. "Listen, kid, you're in our spot. If you don't want to get beat, I suggest you leave before me and my friends make you."

Niri narrowed her eyes. "Make me then, I'd like to see you try."

One of the girls just laughed and made some gestures with her friends before rushing towards Niri. The former Marine held up a leg and shoved the girl away with it before standing, popping her knuckles. The two stared each other down as a crowd drew near. Both girls rushed at each other, Niri dodging a kick as she twisted around, elbowing the other in the back.

By that time, another came running up to punch Niri, only to have her hand slapped away and her face smacked by Niri's open palm. Her feet no longer shoulder apart, she looked at them from under her eyelashes, ready to strike.

A gunshot rang out through the air, causing most to jump. "Prisoners, on the ground!" Looking around, Niri and a few others saw that those who had been in the prison a long time had dropped face down with their hands behind their heads. Hesitantly, Niri lowered to her knees, never keeping her eyes off of those who had attacked her. As she lowered to her front, she let her chin rest on the ground. As guards reached where the fight was, many stood up and attacked the guards, trying to pull away their weapons but instead, if they weren't beaten by those they were attacking, they were hit with either rubber bullets or a beanbag fired from a rifle.

A guard neared Niri and kicked dust in her eyes. "Listen you, you should know better than to start something, traitor." Picking her up by her hair, the burly Marine glared, his beady little eyes staring at hers. "A fight just gets you more time in here, as if you need any more time. From what I hear, you're getting hung."

-.-.-

Hung. Putting a hand to her neck, she heard the phrase "short drop and sudden stop" ring in her head. If her neck didn't break from the rope and the fall, then her body's weight would turn against her as her body would pull herself closer and closer to the ground, cutting off her breathing until all air would leave her lips forever. Cringing, she stood and kicked the door of solitary confinement. They had locked her and the other two girls up in the same room, away from everyone else.

Screaming loudly in frustration, Niri banged on the door with her hands, her forehead resting on the metal. "Yo, chick, you don't stop, you'll heat this up even more," one of the girls said, her forehead glistening with sweat. "This is a hot box. Not only is it all metal, but it's also in the one place that gets nothing but sun. Sunup to sundown, you sit in this little hellhole and swelter while the temperature rises higher and higher."

Niri looked over at the one talking before rolling her eyes. "That's murder."

The other just shook her head. "Not murder if you aren't in the books already." Turning her head, the former Marine looked with a raised eyebrow. "Oh, little Marine didn't know. What, you never had guard duty?"

"I was a field officer, marksman. Snipers aren't commonly on prison duty," Niri informed. Thinking on it, if she hadn't transferred over to Tristram but to a prison instead, none of this would have happened PLUS, she could easily bust out Axe if he suddenly got caught and thrown in prison.

The two looked at each other. "Whatever. This prison is known for having outdating books."

Niri frowned. "That's impossible. Warden has to update books to send them in to the visiting Vice-Admiral before they're sent to an Admiral. If the warden doesn't present updated books, they get court marshaled."

The two looked at each other again before looking back at her. "So what happened to you? No court marshal?"

Niri looked away from the two. "That's none of your business." Looking up at the metal ceiling, she sighed. "How long until this solitary confinement ends?"

"Usually?" The former Marine nodded. "Who knows. Longest anyone's been in here, was six weeks."

The other of the two looked up, snapping her fingers. "I remember that guy. He was big and fat when he got in, came out skinner than pole."

Her friend nodded. "Shortest was maybe two hours. She…well, let's just say she made a deal with the one on guard at the time."

Niri looked at the metal door and kicked it again. "Is this the only one?"

"Nah, they have cells as well but hardly any one is kept there. Pretty close to the armory." This made Niri's ears perk. In the armory, she could grab her father's gun and Bite of the Shark and leave the island. "You want to be in there, you'd have to do something really bad. I don't think anyone's been in there for all the time I've been here."

Curling her hand in a fist, Niri pounded on the door once more before sitting by a wall. Closing her eyes, she willed her body not to sweat, to ride out the heat as much as she could before she could give in. She began to think of it as training. Don't give in, don't give up, don't let them see the weakness.

A/N: And so a plan begins to form. There's still like…roughly estimating, maybe six more chapters, more or less. Anyways, review!


	38. Chapter 38

Chapter Thirty-Eight

Disclaimer: I don't own OP.

A/N: So I may actually shorten this six chapter thing to a few chapters. I don't know but with some good ideas from the nakama, I sort of see the ending of this fic slowly slipping away little by little but you know, it may be a good thing, considering that this is my longest fic but a bad thing because I also have to update some of my other fics. I need to quit procrastinating… Anyways, on with the fic. Enjoy.

Cracks in the walls, some deep enough to have bird nests in, others so shallow only a centimeter of finger could fit. After getting out of the metal box and being reintroduced to the world outside, or rather outside the box inside the prison, Niri began her own private training and she'd start out with the wall. She had heard that many have escaped from the island and though a few got caught, she began to think of ways she could escape. If she could get off the island, she could go back to those waiting for her at the hybrid port.

True, she had a hearing and a trial but due to her false imprisonment, she was sentenced to death, had it not been for a general coming to her rescue, pleading that she be given a life sentence instead of having her pain and suffering end so soon. As if that made it any better. That only made her plans of escape that more tangible. Though, through-out the whole trial, her father was scrutinized, put down, had his name dragged through dirt and mud until someone commented that they were surprised that someone as talented as him would have a rebellious, insubordinate, murdering daughter. That's when they found the "reason" why she killed Baron: he was trying to replace Giles.

Niri put her hands on her head, wishing she could escape and leave this place far behind, away from those who hurt her father's name, who point fingers and call names, away from those who would do her more harm than good. If she were to leave and go home, she'd only get caught. She couldn't ask her adoptive aunt and uncle to leave their life to spend it with her out in the open, that would just be selfish and would put them in danger. She defiantly couldn't ask her brothers even though they'd help and she wouldn't even think about asking Siamon. He was still in the Marines, still working for the World Government. Besides, aiding a fugitive was against the law and they could get into some serious trouble if she should be caught.

Biting her lower lip, she sighed, looking up at the cloudless sky above her. A fire began to burn in her eyes as she began to think about her escape. Granted, she didn't have any weapons but that doesn't mean she couldn't train in her own special way. Out of sheer habit, Niri started every day with the basics: sit ups, pushups, stretches, but with the prison as her own training grounds, she had to think of a drill sergeant.

Prisoners were allowed yard time between breakfast and lunch then lunch to dinner before they were trapped inside their cells. During the free time, Niri vowed to make her sixteen year old body as strong as she could make it with the limited amount of time, resources and equipment. With pirates and thieves of every size in the prison with her, she had a lot of sparring partners with different techniques but she'd rather have her gun.

To feel the handle in her hand, the whiplash it gave her after firing a round, the smell of the smoke erupting from the gun and the large sound that showed up as soon as the flash from the barrel hit. Closing her eyes, she could remember racing towards her "enemies" in the training exercises, dodging a few bullets before hiding behind either a pillar or a wall, watching as chunks of what she was hiding behind would disappear around her before turning to the side quickly, kneeling or standing, firing off a few rounds, hitting her targets before dodging more bullets as they flew by.

Or being on a building or tower or anywhere high up with a high powered rifle in her hand with a 500 scope, watching her targets fly by as she had headshot after headshot, usually shooting the flies around their heads idly. Thinking back, she soon realized that she'd never have that again.

Though, there was one day were her hope was restored, if only a little.

Niri, who had just came out of solitary confinement, again, this time for pick-pocketing a guard, was to be held in her cell for a duration of a week. Being bored silly, she sat upside down on her cot, her legs parallel with the wall as her head hung upside down off the edge. With all the blood rushing down from her toes, down her legs to her head, she began to wonder if they would let her out if she didn't move. Almost as soon as she had finished the thought, she heard boot steps resonate throughout the halls of the cells.

Pushing her hips up, placing her hands on the floor under her head, she pivoted herself to be fully upright on her feet. Moving her hips back down, she felt her cold feet touch the floor first as she rotated her hands to stand upright in the correct fashion. Looking at the bars, she patted her hands together, getting the dust off of them before she rubbed from her hips to her ankles, trying to get the blood flowing again.

Boot steps came closer and closer. Two people, one of them heavier than the other, either that or they were trying to make their approach known. Sitting in the middle of her cell, Niri drew her legs near and crossed her legs, resting her elbows on her knees as she stared out. The man across the hallway peeked his head out from behind his wall before he stood, making movements near his waist before rushing waters resonated in his cell.

On the floor before the cells were two shadows, one taller than the other, maybe a foot taller but her math may have been off a bit. All around, the other inmates began whispering amongst themselves before one shouted out. "SHARK! SHARK! SHARK!" It echoed throughout the hallway, stirring the others as they peeked out through their bars. Niri's heart felt like it skipped a few beats as she stood up, her eyes wide as the boot steps sounded like they were right outside.

Two figures stopped outside the cell before one saluted to the other and walked away. Sad and surprised eyes looked in before shame replaced the shock. "I thought the reports were wrong, that it was a sick joke amongst the cadets. But here stands the proof to it all, making everything true."

Tears welled up in Niri's eyes, falling down in fat drops. "Si…Siamon, I…I…I…I didn't…" Her head shook from side to side slowly as her vision blurred. Putting her hands to her face, Niri dropped to her knees, trying hard not to let her once commanding officer hear her. The door opened, making the girl flinch at the sudden sound but two arms wrapped themselves around her frame, holding her close as she clung to his shirt, sobbing in his chest.

One hand on the small of her back, the other on her head, Siamon closed his eyes, rubbing the girl's back as she trembled. Sobs slowly faded into hiccups and hiccups turned into sniffles as the two separated. Opening her eyes and wiping away what tears stained her face, Niri saw the mess she made. "I got your shirt wet…sir."

The merman looked down at what she had meant, his webbed hand touching the wet spot before looking back at her. "Tell me what happened."

Lowering her gaze, she shook her head. "You're not going to believe me. No one does."

"You don't know that for certain, guppy." Niri's head rose as she looked at her father figure. "Now, tell me."

"A visiting vice-admiral had stopped by Tristram. Naturally, that visitation made power go to Baron's head a little bit. I was given custodial duty and he took my father's gun. I was heading to my bunker when I heard people in his office. I was curious to find out who it was but I also wanted my gun back but this woman in a cape and hat pointed a gun to his head. I rushed in but was stopped by something holding my neck. Something furry. I think they were asking about someone but when he went to retrieve something, he pulled out my gun instead. He was killed before he could aim."

Siamon nodded. "He was never that good with firearms." Petting her head, he thought for a bit. "I think I can have your belongings transferred here."

Niri's head shot up as she caught Siamon's wrist in her hand. "I'm a guardian," she whispered. "I have Bite of the Shark."

The merman's eyes widened slightly before he nodded. "I'll be sure that it's in there as well." Seeing confusion in her eyes, he smiled slightly. "I'm still a Marine. I can't take possession of it or a human will take it from me."

"I was told that I couldn't give it to you. I suppose that's the reason." Looking at him, she bit her lower lip. "But…do you believe me?"

Standing up, Siamon pulled Niri up by her hand. "I don't think you're crazy or would make up a story like that." Hope filled her as she smiled. They both nodded before he let go of her hand. "I don't have much time but I had to see if it was true. I'm upset that you're here but I understand."

As he turned away, Niri put a hand to a scar on his arm, stopping him. "Permission to ask a question, sir."

The merman smiled sadly. "You're not a Marine anymore, Niri."

"It's about Ashton."

Laughing, Siamon nodded. "He's sore all over." Niri just smiled before nodding. "Guppy." She looked up at him. "Don't give up."

He walked through the cell door before closing it. Niri reached a hand out from the bars as his met hers. Sighing and closing her eyes, Niri slipped her hand away. "Go. I don't want to see you leave." A hand ruffled her hair before she heard steps leave her cell. Opening her eyes, she went back to her cot and curled up. "The next time you see me, I'll be stronger," she whispered quietly.

-.-.-

Prisoners entered the yard before a voice sounded through the air from a Den Den Mushi Speaker. "Prisoners, the World Government has had counts of all prisons on the Grand Line. As of this morning, prisoners are now fighters." Niri blinked as many around her began questioning what the warden had meant. The thought hit her hard as she suddenly understood. "Fight as if this was the last day you live. Fight to see another dawn. Shorten the lines for meals, clear out cells and earn titles in the prison yard. Prisoners, I hereby make you all fighters. Kill or be killed."

Backing away from everyone, the former Marine shook her head. No, no, no, they can't do this. This wasn't any form of Justice. This was murder! Thinking, she began to estimate how many would die, how many would be beaten so badly from their wounds they couldn't fight. How many of the weaker pirates and thieves would die as their friends watched on helplessly? How many would die for the old men to satisfy their blood lust? Gritting her teeth, Niri shook her head. She couldn't fight, she wasn't strong enough to even draw blood…wait. Her nails. She remembered fighting Bret.

Looking up at the warden's window, she curled her hands, feeling her nails marking her palms. She could fight but it wouldn't be how they fight. Curling her fingers into claws, her vision sharpened. They wanted blood, they'd have to watch it fall from their own bodies.

A/N: Thank you Dude and kilnorc for the ideas because now, there is a mini arc. Anyways, review please.


	39. Chapter 39

Chapter Thirty-Nine

Disclaimer: I don't own OP.

A/N: Okies, so for those completely lost in the story, Niri's in jail for a crime she didn't commit and the Marines of the prison system are bored so the World Government had allowed them to let the prisoners fight for their lives. Anyways, enjoy.

Cries rang out through the air as prisoners and guards alike had money in their fists, cheering on for the two prisoners fighting in a cage. Disgusted, Niri watched the fight on a wall. It had only been a few days since the announcement and here they were, acting like a pack of rabid dogs as they watched bodies being battered and bruised, just for entertainment.

There had been some who refused and therefore, were punished for not joining in the fights by sitting out in the hot boxes. Others who were too weak to fight had others fight for them, either members of their crew or someone they had bribed. Niri snorted. Bribing someone into fighting for you, how stupid.

Jumping off the wall, she landing on her toes and rolled to make sure she didn't break her legs or ankles. Like every prisoner, she was chosen to fight but thankfully, she hadn't fought anyone yet. Standing, she went to the crowd, her vision sharpened as she neared many of the cheering men. Grinning to herself, she reached a hand out and snuck it into the back pocket of one of the guards, pulling out some money. Her blue eyes seemed to turn green as she hid the money in her clothes.

Pick-pocketing was easy now and thanks to the new system in the prison, she could increase her skills easily. Unfortunately, none of the guards had keys on them or even a weapon but that was nothing new. Weapons weren't allowed in the cage, it was an "unfair advantage". As if fighting others weaker or stronger than you wasn't an unfair advantage. Rolling her eyes, she took more money from a few more guards, stuffing the Beli with the others. The only problem, the prison uniforms didn't allow pockets, so she was stuck with stuffing them in the only place that seemed to work, in her bra.

It wasn't like anyone noticed, well, she hoped no one would. Not only would she rip them a new one for looking at her but she'd rip them a new one and give them a reason to cry for even staring to notice a change in her frame and appearance. Once she was sure that she had enough money, she nodded to herself. With the cheers turning into boos, she looked over, seeing one of the prisoners collapse from sheer exhaustion. Shaking her head, she watched as guards hauled his body away, shoving in another person.

One prisoner fought until exhaustion or death, and then another would replace that prisoner. Those who were exhausted were given time to recover before getting thrown back into the cage. It was sickening but that was just it, those betting didn't care, they just wanted to watch everyone beat the crap out of each other and earn money from the bets. Shaking her head again, she turned away from the crowd, heading back to her cell. During the time of the fights, prisoners were allowed to return to their cells to put their money that they earn in a hiding spot somewhere in their cells, either that or they had to relieve their bladders.

Entering her cell, she looked around before pulling bills out of her bra and stuffing money within her mattress. Heading back to the grounds, she could hear those scavenging money from those stupid enough to put their money in plain sight. Growling, Niri grabbed one of the thieves by their throats, slamming them against the bars of a cell. "You go in my cell, you'll find yourself a eunuch." She watched as the feeble man in her hand turned pale as his buddies covered themselves up. Releasing him, she narrowed her eyes before they ran away. "Idiots."

Returning to the grounds, she was suddenly grabbed by her arms. "HEY! LET ME GO!" She struggled against the hold of the guards, kicking at them before scratching the air as she reached for their faces. Coming up short, she snarled as they dragged her to the cage. Opening the door, they shoved her in and shut the door quickly, locking it. Growling, Niri kicked at the door with her feet, hoping to make it budge. Someone shouted at her, distracting her for a moment, long enough for her mind to spark. Jumping up, she grabbed the top of the cage with her hands, pulling her body up when her opponent reached for her.

Letting go suddenly, she landed on her back, knocking the breath out of her before rolling away when a giant foot rose up to stomp her into the bottom of the cage. Getting to her feet, she growled, curling her hands into claws. Her opponent, the one they had thrown in, was much bigger than she, his burly body blocking out the sun before he laughed, looking down at the girl. Raising one of his hands, he threw it quickly, slapping her as her head snapped to the side, her neck popping at the force and speed.

Those outside were laughing as he raised his hand to slap her again. Swinging it down, he stopped short of her face when her eyes peered out for her hair. Fire flared in her eyes, stopping the cheering as the outsiders noticed. Stepping near her opponent, she licked her lips, letting her hands curl into claws. "**CAT SCRATCH**!" She scratched his face like she hand Bret's, before backing away quickly.

Her opponent cried out in pain before rushing at her. The crowds outside began roaring with excitement, some banging on the cage with their fists. Niri's heart increased slightly, drowning out the crowd as she focused in on her opponent. This was dangerous. Using Lock On, a marksman's most effective technique, she could get killed but in this situation, it was useful. There was only one opponent, no one about to shoot her or kill her outside of this fight.

Dodging the flurry of punches, she turned her claws upwards; Niri raised both of her hands, scratching her opponent's face at the same time. "**X CLAW**!" her nails ran up his face then back down quickly, X mark on his face as blood began to flow from the newest wound. Backing away, she wasn't fast enough. She learned that quickly when a knee was suddenly shoved in her stomach. Coughing, she felt her breath leave her as she doubled over, her arms on her stomach before she looked up at the furious man. He had raised his fists above his head ready to slam them down on her. Her mind sparked again as she quickly swiped her leg against his, knocking him forward. "**CAT SWIPE**!" Her nails dug themselves in his neck, cutting across his jugular as he fell.

Catching her breath, Niri stood, shaking from pain as she looked down. She just killed a man. Something in her mind told her not to cry, to just brush it off but she shook her head slowly, ready to crack. Inside her chest, something roared before her eyes went wide. The body was hauled away as another person was thrown in the cage with her. He was slighter than the other one but that didn't mean anything. First rule in fighting: Never underestimate your opponent.

She sensed that he was near but did nothing as he began punching her, breaking one of her ribs, bruising up her face and arms. She was knocked away, her body bouncing off the bars of the cage as she spat up blood. Whatever roared in her chest had died down from the pain but her anger hadn't. Standing, she wiped blood from her face, her vision blurry as she screamed, racing towards the newest person in the cage.

Her vision gone from too many hits to her face, her breath shortened from how many punches she had dealt to her stomach and chest but still, she stood, her body shaking to find its balance. Blind eyes closed as she spread her arms, her fingers blindly searching for anything. Sounds from the crowd were distracting her as she tried to continue the fight but a fist connected with her bottom jaw, her teeth cracking together, almost breaking as her head was snapped back her body slamming back to the ground. She heard the door open as hands picked her up, hauling her away, away from the fight, away from the crowd, away from the grounds.

-.-.-

Niri's eyes opened again but instead of darkness, it was all blurry, funny shapes all around her. She knew where she was, the prison's hospital. Already, she felt a familiar tightness against her chest. More broken ribs, again. Thankfully, this meant she couldn't fight until they were healed. Putting a hand to her eyes, Niri began to wonder when her vision would return. She used Lock On, had gotten hit in the head during the duration of that time and of course, it messed with her vision.

She was warned about this but now she was paying the price. Sitting up, she shook her head. "Ugh." Pain began to pound against her skull. Niri just sighed before rubbing the back of her neck. Climbing out of the bed, she carefully walked out of the hospital, her hands on the walls as she felt her way back to her cell. Brushing her hair away from her face, Niri looked ahead, willing her vision to return. Finding her cell, she reached a hand in her mattress, feeling her money there before climbing into bed, ready to sleep off the exhaustion. Pain didn't bother her that much when she willed it away but she still had to deal with fatigue.

Sitting up, she pulled off her top, looking at her body. Her vision fuzzy, she saw bruises on her stomach, a sickly green and yellow with purple and blue edges. She knew where her rib was broken, it was red with some bruising but feeling her face tenderly, she was surprised to feel the swelling. It was like that on her cheekbones, her jaw and her temple. Bumps were along her skull, hidden from the world in her hair. She could feel them when she ran a hand through her hair. The source of her headaches and the only cure was sleep.

She wanted to yawn but the swelling in her jaw prevented her to do so. Sticking a finger in her mouth, she carefully traced her teeth, making sure none were broken or loose. The last thing she needed was to be missing a tooth for the rest of her life. Spitting out more blood, she nodded after confirming her teeth were all intact and secured. Taking out her finger and closing her mouth, she heard and felt her jaw click at the hinge. Putting a hand to her jaw, Niri moved her lower jaw gently, feeling it click. _Great, bastard dislocated my jaw!_ Gritting her teeth, she mover her hand so that the heel of her hand was at the point of her jaw before pushing it back.

A loud crunch rang in her ears, followed by a pain but after moving her jaw, she nodded gently. Her nose twitched once before a flurry of sneezes came suddenly. Sniffling, she wiped her nose. "Who the hell is talking about me?" Sniffing again, she just shook her head, her loose neck protesting. "I give up." Lying down, she covered herself up with her top and closed her eyes, ready to sleep the wounds away.

Without warning, Niri began sneezing again. Her neck and back protested against the sneezing, but as her stomach clenched with every sneeze, her pains grew worse and worse as her headache grew larger. Once the sneezing fit had passed, Niri rolled over, moaning in pain. Opening her eyes, she looked at the wall in front of her. Raising a hand, she dragged her nails down the wall, feeling goose bumps travel up her arm as a chill ran up and down her back. Blood coated under her nails, around her cuticles and in the creases of her fingers. Blood of a murdered man, someone she killed in order to stay alive in this hell.

Why was she even fighting? She had life in prison. If anything, she should just give up and let whoever she was up against kill her. Siamon's image flooded her mind before she softly smiled. Of course, she was staying alive because she had promised to be strong when they saw each other again. Then of course, there was Axe. If she died, how would she know that he was alright? She just needs a bit more time before she could get strong enough to escape and find him.

Her family and friends, she had to remember them to survive, to live through this project the World Government gave the prison system. Letting out a breath, she closed her eyes and curled up, smiling as she imagined meeting them all again. After all, she did make a promise and she was a guardian of a very important artifact. If she was to give it to the next one in line, she had better live.

-.-.-

Sitting with the other wounded, the smell of salt was pungent in the air as it spread all over the compound. With the sea air, the smell of blood and sweat, Niri thought she'd be nauseous, especially since a newest scent began to make itself known: the smell of the dead. The sickening smell of rotting flesh covered the whole island, from one point to another but it was strongest in the morgue, which Niri later found out, was right below her cell.

Not only did she freak out and immediately ask for a transfer, but she didn't sleep in her cell anymore. It was bad enough that when she found out that then there were pranks that the guards began to pull. When she did sleep, she had later woken up with a dead body lying next to her in her cot. Letting out a shrill ear piercing scream, she clawed her way out of her cell, somehow slipping through the bars to get away from the rotting corpse.

Blood flew every which way as one of the prisoners ripped his opponent up, ripping open the abdomen to rip out the internal organs. The stomach flopped on the ground as the intestines were pulled out, blood coating the ground everywhere. Disgusted, Niri looked away. That's when it happened. "Devil Fruit!" Looking back, Niri saw the man grow spikes on his back, his hands turning into claws as he mouth and nose narrowed and stretched. "Devil Fruit!"

The man was a Devil Fruit User, an echidna by the way he moved. Echidnas could borrow and dig. At first, Niri wanted to snap up and run to him, to give him orders but then remembered that they were trapped on an island, that as soon as they touch water, they would freeze instantly and therefore could either be caught or die if the tunnel were to fill with water or collapse in on itself. Her hopes died instantly so all she could do was watch as they pulled him out of the cage and throw him in the hotbox.

"Idiot." Looking up, Niri could see the warden talking to his guards, telling them something before picking up a Den Den Mushi, calling someone. Impel Down, no doubt. Devil Fruit Users, alive or dead, were always sent to Impel Down. Sighing, she watched as two more people were thrown in the cage, girls this time as they fought, slapping and scratching each other pitifully. Of course, since mostly men were watching, they threw in mud, watching the girls wrestle, trying to kill each other. "Idiots." Suddenly smiling, she began to think of Sadie. Sadie might like this, if it wasn't life or death. Laughing, she had to hold her side to stop her broken rib from causing her pain.

How much longer until the guards called it a day, to haul away the bodies, to release them for dinner? Resting her head on her hands, she looked at the cage, listened as the men cried out, slightly amused by their stupidity. Only mean will think with their lower regions when two girls are fighting. She popped her knuckles, looking up at the warden's box again. Curling her hand, she could feel his skin open easily, stopping the cage fights. If she gets caught, what are they going to do? Give her more time? She smirked at the thought before closing her eyes. She'd do it. Tonight, she's going to kill the warden.

-.-.-

It didn't take long to sneak out of her cell, all she had to do was pick the lock. The clinic had needles everywhere and all she had to do was steal two. As she stuck one in the lock, she felt around until it hit something that suddenly pushed in. Sticking in the other needle, she felt around until something clicked and the door unlatched itself. Opening up the cell, she looked across the hall to the man in the cell across from hers. When he didn't stir, she withdrew the needles and slipped through the door. Running down the hallway quietly, she reached the door, disabling the alarm before she opened it up, stopping only when it creaked open. Listening closely, she couldn't hear anything moving before she opened the door a little wider, slipping through before shutting the door, stopping it with a rock so it doesn't seal.

Though the moon was still in the new cycle, she didn't take any chances. Sneaking through the yard against the wall, she quickly made her way to the wall under the warden's box. Looking up at the cracks, she grabbed onto a stone and began to pull herself up, climbing up the wall to reach the box up above. Inch by inch, she felt the next crack with her fingers, trying to find where her feet would go next. Sweat on her brow, she finally reached the top, pulling herself up before reaching for the door. Alarm Den Dens were around the door, all of them watching her closely.

This was different from disabling a machine alarm, Den Dens were very particular. Disturbing one could mean alerting the others which would alert the whole prison. Biting her lower lip, she looked at one of the snails then at the others. Alarm Den Dens couldn't be reasoned with but with some time and effort, she could make sure they didn't shout and still have enough time to put them back to sneak back into her cell.

Very slowly, moving as fast as a snail, she reached her hand out and gently turned the knob. The Den Dens watched carefully. Any sudden movement and they'd all scream but any loud sound, they'd raise alarm as well. It was a double edged sword, a chance she was willing to take. Hoping that the door wouldn't creak, she gently pushed the door open, watching as it opened with ease before slipping in slowly. Once she was inside, she let out a breath and looked around. Gentle snores filled the air as she padded her way in the darkness. Niri stopped when she heard a snort, holding her breath and stilling her movements but when the snores returned, she released her held breath and crept over to the warden. He slept peacefully, it looked like. Niri grinned. He'd never wake up now. Grabbing his lower jaw and the back of his head, she twisted her arms, hearing several snaps before the pulse under her fingers stopped.

Nodding to herself, she snuck away back to the door, slipping carefully passed the Alarm Den Dens, shutting the door as she did so. Finally away from the door, she began her climb back down, letting her feet guide her. Stopping, Niri looked up to the sky. Was it lighter than usual? "No," she breathed and hurried her way down. Finally touching the ground, she raced across the yard, hurrying to the door. Opening it up, she kicked away the rock before letting the heavy door close.

Running on her toes, she made sure not to make a noise as she reached her cell. Quickly picking the lock, she opened the door and slipped in, closing her cell as she hid the needles against the bars, where no one could see them. Curling up on her cot, she only waited a few minutes before dawn rose and therefore, the guards. It was routine: guards would wake up, check the prisoners before going to the warden, waking him up and then would be the beginning of the day.

A guard passed by her cell, pausing longer than usual but continued on. Did they sense that she was awake? She bit her lower lip, hoping to give them no reason to think that. With everyone counted for, she heard the guards go to the yard, ready to tell the warden the count. Too bad the warden would never get the count, considering he's dead. A satisfied smile on her face, Niri closed her eyes, wondering how much time would pass before they realize that the warden is dead and therefore, began to wonder who killed him and began to rouse the prisoners.

Pity, had she been given more time, she probably could have ripped out his throat but that would just be a mess to clean up if she were to deny the claims. Who would take the fall though? Anyone of the prisoners could have snuck out and killed him but they'll never know the true culprit. Alarms sounded throughout the prison, awaking the inmates as Niri sat up. So they found his dead body, next will come the questioning, the accusations and finally, a suspect.

No doubt she was number one suspect since she "murdered" Baron but she just shrugged. What could they do, give her more time? Standing, she and the other prisoners in the cell block knelt by their doors, they're hands behind their heads as Marine guards shouted out orders. Closing her eyes, she wondered how they would question the prisoners. "Psst!"

Opening her eyes, she looked across the hallway to see the inmate in front of her make a gesture with his mouth. She curled her lip before opening her mouth and snapping at air, her teeth making a loud sound as they met. The prisoner just chuckled but let her alone after that. One by one, the prisoners were pulled out of their cells and taken somewhere, away from the others. The ones that came back whispered about what was going on and how they were being tested. Apparently, a Den Den was placed on your beck to monitor your heart so it can tell if you were lying or not.

Niri frowned. This wasn't good. In the back of her mind, she hoped and prayed that someone else's heart would falter and they would take the blame. Granted, she'd feel guilty but in order to stay alive, she had to forget about that. When they finally came to her, her door opened and she was pulled to her feet, her hands cuffed behind her back. Walking down a corridor, she went through a set of doors before passing by more cells and another set of doors, coming to a room with nothing in it but two chairs and a table.

Being sat in one of the chairs, Niri adjusted herself in the seat and crossed her legs. The door opened again and a Marine sat on the other side of the table, a gold Den Den in his hands. The Marine didn't look like the average Marine, his hair was dark blue with even lighter blue eyes but all on tan skin. He looked over at the guards near Niri and nodded. One of the guards held Niri's shoulders as the other undid her shirt.

"HEY!" Niri struggled, kicking the table as she head-butted the one undoing her top. "Pervert!"

The Marine across the table sighed. "Niri Zolaro, we need to put this Den Den on your back before we ask you questions pertaining to the murder of Warden McGee."

Niri grinned. "So that's what the old man's name was." Her grin faded as her eyes hardened. "You want that mollusk on me, you'll have to do it through the shirt."

"We can't do that. Just cooperate with us and you'll be free to go back to your cell."

"Some freedom," Niri snorted. "I expect some privacy then."

The Marine just nodded and the guard returned to undoing her top. Carefully making sure it covered her chest, the guard behind her pushed her forward, causing her to dry out in pain when she moved too quickly. "You're hurt."

"Nah shit, you figured that out all on your own or did you have some help?"

The Marines just looked at each other before her shirt was redone and she hauled up on her feet. "Sorry to have bothered you."

As she was hauled away, Niri raised a leg and held it against the door. "Whoa, whoa, whoa, why am I not being questioned?"

The blue haired Marine set down the Den Den. "Because no one with any broken bones could have killed him without going through some pain. You have broken ribs; you would have been passed out once you reach the top."

In her head, Niri cheered and partied but on the outside, she just merely nodded. "I could have told you that."

One of the guards tightened his grip before shoving her. "Come on, smartass, back to your cell."

Going back through the doors, through the hallway, through another set of doors, Niri arrived back at her cell. Once she was uncuffed, she flipped the guards the bird before settling on her cot. She had a long night and now that she was off the hook, she needed some well deserved rest.

A/N: That is my longest chapter of this fic. I kid you not. It was fun to write though because not only could I introduce some cool Den Dens BUT I could also show a new side to Niri. Anyways, review and you all get a slice of apple pie.


	40. Chapter 40

Chapter Forty

Disclaimer: Don't own OP.

A/N: W00T! FORTY CHAPTERS! Never did I think that I could make this fic forty chapters. Alright, these next few chapters are based off this dream I had, mixed with a few ideas that came from this new novel I bought two days ago. Enjoy.

Sighing, sixteen year old Niri crossed her arms behind her head, staring up at the ceiling. Someone had taken the blame for her murder but it was later found out that he had also killed a few guards along the years, so she was off the hook but her conscious was eating away at her mind slowly. Shaking her head, she closed her eyes and tried her hardest to forget about it. Right at that second, she had heard it, the rumor that would later be real.

Two guards were walking by, both talking relatively quiet so as to not freak out the prisoners but their conversation wasn't gone unheard by Niri. "Are you serious, they can now do this?"

"To turn a murderer into a saint by changing his mind."

"How?"

"That's just it, it's done by a Den Den, something new but so far, three tests have gone unsuccessful. They need more subjects."

"And here I thought the geeks were kidding when they found the Den Dens."

Niri raised an eyebrow, thinking about what was just said. A Den Den that can't change a person's mind? That wasn't possible. Sure, Den Dens could use electronic waves to communicate with each other, hence the communication system used all over, plus the speakers and projections grafted into their shells but now a Den Den could change their minds? How was this possible?

Could the mollusk ooze out a pheromone to calm down one's mind? Was it the eclectic currents that run naturally in the shell of one or was it just bogus so that the guards would have an easier job? Whatever it was, Niri didn't like the sounds of it. Curling up on her side, Niri chewed on her bottom lip, trying to understand it. Creepy snails. Whenever she finds out what all this is about, she will find a way to stop it.

Though nothing could have prepared her for what was coming. In the dead of the night, when all was quiet and asleep, Niri awoke suddenly after feeling a chill go down her spine. Like little magnets on her back, she felt those magnets begin to pull at whatever it was behind her. Sitting up, she saw men in black reach for her. Her first reaction was to scream but it was quickly followed by the need to defend herself.

Biting down on the scream in her throat, she slashed the men in black with her nails, slicing the air and clothes before something cold and wet covered her mouth and nose. She blinked in shock, not daring to gasp as she realized she was to be drugged but it was too late. With her body turning heavy and her head rolling, she could see smiles on the faces around her before all was dark.

-.-.-

_Eyes opened to a very bright light shining in through the lightly curtained room. Sitting up, Niri rubbed her eyes, pushing away the heavy comforter as she headed out of the room, down the hallway, passing by a noisy room before heading downstairs. The smells of breakfast cooking made her stomach growl. A voice said something to her, greeting her and telling her to wash up. It was a woman's voice, one she could but couldn't hear. She knew there was a woman in the kitchen one she could but couldn't see._

_Shaking her head, Niri rubbed her eyes again before going to the sink and washing her hands. The voice said something again, this time, not directed towards her but to the noisy room upstairs. Footsteps were heard as it echoed from the room, down the hallway and stairs before bumping into Niri. "Whoa! Roadblock."_

"_Shut up and sit down, Kohie," Niri said to the little boy. He looked like her, black hair but his eyes were darker blue. This confused Niri. Brushing it off, she sat across from the boy and dug into the breakfast laid out before her. The boy grinned and the two began racing to see who could scarf down the most food before calling quits._

_The front door opened as both Niri and Kohie looked over to the source of the sound. "Daddy!" Both at the table got up and ran to the Marine Captain, hugging his waist._

_The older man laughed heartily as he patted their heads. "Well, I should get this reception every day." Looking over at his daughter, Giles frowned. "Niri, you're sixteen years old, you shouldn't be running around in your night gown. You're not a little kid anymore."_

_Niri's forehead furrowed. She had never been scolded like this before. "Yes daddy." Going upstairs, she could hear her family chatting happily. Family…this felt wrong to her. Searching her clothes, she pulled out her Marine uniform before changing from her plain nightgown. Once her top was on, she quickly tied the neckerchief around her neck, evening up the lines before pulling up her pants. Smiling, she remembered asking her father to issue her some pants. Of course, that raised uproar to many of the other officers but it was made that women could either be issued a skirt or pants, depending on their mood._

_Pulling on her brown boots, Niri tied them and tucked the strings in the side of the boot so they wouldn't come out and therefore, come undone. Standing, she turned to her bed, looking around at her childhood bedroom. Many things were missing from what she remembered but she just shrugged and figured that she could just find them later. Making up her bed, she fluffed the pillows and picked up her old doll before looking at it. A glimpse of her head cracked up flashed but here was the doll, intact, as if never seeing a rock before in her little doll life._

_Setting the doll carefully on the pillow, Niri turned to look at herself in her mirror. There was something odd about her. Something that just wasn't quite right. Shrugging, she picked up a brush and began brushing her long hair, pulling out all of the tangles before starting at her crown as she braided her hair. She had done this every day, or so her mind told her but it felt odd. Finally ending it and tying it off, she let the thick braid fall, giggling as the tip tickled her lower back._

_Outside the house was Aran Island, as she remembered it but it didn't feel right. Something was missing from the little town, missing from the everyday life that she remembered. Walking away from the village, it was still a while before she had to report in for the day's work at the base. Through the trees, she could hear the little boys of the village shout and scream loudly as they chased each other. Stopping, she looked up a familiar tree but the feeling she couldn't brush off was back, telling her this was wrong._

_Something flashed, an old tree house but instead, this was just a tree. Rubbing her eyes, she couldn't deal with this anymore. Heading back into the village, she felt like she expecting to hear someone shout at her. She felt like she should see someone, to laugh and tease with, to have pointless arguments just to make up with. An empty feeling in her heart rang dully, the constant reminder still tickling her mind and the feeling of missing something worrying her thoughts._

-.-.-

"Stable. Hopefully this time it will work."

"Remember, if we lose one more patient, we lose this project and eventually, our careers and our lives."

-.-.-

_Paperwork. Being hunched over a desk, she filled out a report over an assignment that she couldn't quite remember. Something touched her forehead lightly, causing her to look up and gasp loudly. "Hi there!"_

_Chris, the one she had her first kiss with, leaned across the desk she was working at, his face close to hers. "What are you doing here?"_

"_I came to see you," he said, his brown eyes feigning hurt. "I can't come by and see you anymore?"_

_Niri just smiled. "You know what I mean. Listen, the parents and a group of dad's friends are hitting the tavern soon, so it's me and the brat at the house tonight. You wanna come over?"_

_Looking thoughtful, the tall teen shook his head and smiled. "Can't, I'll be busy and so will you." When the sharpshooter raised an eyebrow, Chris just chuckled. "You'll find out." He kissed her forehead before walking away. "See you this evening."_

_Returning to her paperwork, Niri could have sworn that she couldn't really read what was before her, that she wasn't really writing out the information needed but she figured it was because she wasn't really concentrating. Shrugging it off, she closed the file and began to work on some field degradation that, for some odd reason, the Baron gave her. "That drunk…" Quickly assessing the work involved, she wondered if she could pass it off to a different private._

_Passing along some reports to the patrolling officers, Niri walked along some desks, dropping off files from person to person, area to area. During this transaction, she could hear the others buzzing on about this party. Apparently, it wasn't just a small group of friends anymore, but had erupted into a large fiasco. Niri paused, her worst fear realized. She'd have to wear a fancy dress._

_Groaning, she set the remaining pile of reports on a random desk before walking down a hallway, passing by several familiar faces. Stopping at Baron's door, she knocked three times before entering. Seeing the drunk at his desk, she grew angry and slammed the door. "Why wasn't I told of this?"_

"_Told of what?"_

"_This party. I thought it was just going to be you, dad and a few others but NO! This little get together is going to be a dress up party!" Slamming her hands on his desk, she leaned in close, her eyes wide as a dangerous glint reflected from the lights in the office. "You didn't inform me," she whispered, her lips barely moving as her eyes narrowed._

_Sweat beaded on Baron's head as he tried to back away from the upset private. "Well, Niri, it was your father's idea."_

"_Daddy's?" The angry flame in her eyes snuffed out quickly as she stood up straight and looked at the door, chewing on her lip. "Why would daddy order this party?"_

"_No idea, you should ask him," Baron said quickly, fearing for his life now. Upset, Niri was dangerous but when that anger simmers and stays bottled up, she was deadly. The private looked back over at her commanding officer, making him flinch under her gaze. "I'll tell you next time, promise."_

_Nodding, the girl walked away from the desk and walked out of the office, shutting the door a little too forcefully as the windows shuddered and pictures and framed awards shook on the wall. Gulping, Baron began hoping his friend had a stronger nerve than he._

_On the outside, Niri appeared calm but anyone close to the girl knew that her steps landed harder, her movements were stiff and her eyes sharply focused. She stopped suddenly, looking ahead as she sensed someone nearby. "Jefferson." A tall Marine trying to hide behind a corner jumped at the sound of his name. "Where is my father?"_

_Peeking out from around the sharp edge, the tall muscle man ran a hand through his messy hair. "Gee Niri, I think he went to see your mother." Getting a glance from the girl, he began to stutter. "B-but I'm s-sure he'll b-be back…?"_

_Changing her sense of direction, the private turned on her heel, her boots loud on the floor as she let her feet lead her back home. If she knew her father, there were only two reasons behind this sudden change of plans, he wanted someone promoted and he wanted to see her in a dress, to see her be more feminine. Once out of the base, she was bombarded with sounds all around her. Children were playing, laughing and screaming in their games, villagers were shopping and talking to each other about the weather, their families, even the World Government that keeps them safe._

_She knew that civilians weren't interested in the Marine social gatherings but it wasn't uncommon to find them rubbing elbows with everyone. Heading home, she opened up the door, hearing the voice welcome her home._

_Kohie zoomed by, a ship in his hands as he made it bob up and down. Niri stopped him suddenly by grabbing the back of his collar, making the boy make a hacking sound. "You, boy child, where's the father figure?"_

_Kohie looked up, slightly terrified. "Upstairs, trying on some outfit," he answered quietly before being let go. "Mom's up there too, she has something for you."_

_Niri glared at him before heading to the stairs, walking up but with every step, her heart dropped deeper and deeper into her stomach. "You wanted to see me?" The voice was breathy and light, excited about the night before Niri looked at her father's reflection. "You lied to me."_

_Giles smiled. "It was the only way to make sure you'd still be on the island."_

"_You lied to me."_

"_Yes, I lied," he said, his eyes twinkling as he stared at his daughter's reflection. "Your mother got you a dress-"_

"_I'm not going." Crossing her arms, Niri's feet bowed as she frowned. "I don't dress up."_

_Her parents laughed before a dress was tossed at her. "At least try it on," her father said, trying to fix the bow. "Hun, I can't get this even…"_

_Scoffing, Niri went to her room before shutting the door, firmly. "Making me dress up, what am I, a doll?" She toyed with the hemming of the skirt, sighing. "Fine, I'll go but I won't be happy."_

-.-.-

"This is remarkable. It hasn't over heated yet."

"This one may work. This is a breakthrough."

-.-.-

_In the middle of the island, candled torches lit the area, ensuring that the area was well lit, that everyone could see and that if anything, it'll keep the bugs from the party goers. Sighing, Niri was leaned against the edge of a table, watching some dance to the music Den Dens played, others holding drinks as they talked. Higher authority mingled politely with whoever came to them, all were talking, and enjoying themselves but Niri just shook her head._

_Sure, she smiled prettily to those who went to speak to her but they never stayed long. That was fine by her; it wasn't like she needed any company, any reason to stay at the dress up. Of course, there was Chris, her escort to the party, her date, but whatever feelings she had for him was too innocent and sweet, it was a first love. They made that clear on their way to the get-together, so it wasn't anything new to either of them._

_The boys at the party did try their best to get close to her, even when her father or mother pulled them close enough but she merely brushed the guys off. She wasn't interested in mingling with anyone. Her anger still not cooled from earlier, she glared at her father, watching him sip his whiskey before laughing loudly, clapping his companion on the back. Sighing, she walked away from the table, hoping to talk to her mother and excuse herself from the little party but a hand on her elbow stopped her._

_Turning back, Niri blushed when she saw a boy around her age with flaming red hair and soft brown eyes looking at her. Both just stared at each other before he let her arm go. His eyes ran over her body, taking in her image, which made her shudder and her stomach turn. He start at the ground, where the length of the skirt ended, merely centimeters missing the grass, up the ruffles of the parted satin skirt that ended on her hips before trailing his eyes up the laced bodice, touching the black pearl necklace to finally, her face, where the blush faded and paled. "You look good in blue."_

_Niri saw changes in his eyes. She didn't like the last look he gave her before she started to walk backwards. "Thanks." Turning away again, she tried not to think about him and the look he was giving her as she went to find her mother. Getting goose bumps, she could tell that he was still looking at her, the look of hunger still in his eyes. Searching around, Niri just wanted to scream in frustration and grab the gun holstered at her thigh, shoot it up in the air to shut everyone up._

_She felt two arms wrap themselves around her waist, freezing her on the spot. "I believe that compliment owed me a dance."_

"_I don't dance," Niri breathed, starting to get angry with every second he was touching her. "Let me go."_

_He brought his mouth to her ear, breathing in it. "I don't think so."_

"_Hey!" The boy backed away from her quickly as a tall man walked up. Niri felt more at ease when she recognized the man and mentally thanked her father for inviting him. "I don't think she liked that."_

"_No offense, sir, but why don't you mind your own business?" the boy asked, venom dripping from every word._

_The man put a webbed hand on Niri's head, looking the boy dead in the eye with a fierceness only a shark would have. "She is my business." Niri smiled up at him, feeling safe and protected. The boy made a noise in his throat before turning heel and walking off. "You okay, Guppy?"_

"_Yes, sir." Feeling a bit awkward, Niri looked up at the merman. "Sir, I know my father has invited you here to Aran Island but it would have taken you two weeks to get here when the invites were delivered just days ago."_

_Siamon smirked before patting her head. "There are some things better kept a secret."_

_As the merman walked away, Niri just tilted her head as she thought about what he had said before shrugging it off and returning to her search._

-.-.-

"What was that?"

"A glitch?"

"Make sure it doesn't happen again."

-.-.-

_Giving up after so long, Niri leaned against another table, this time with drinks. As she swirled the contents in the cup around in her hand, she had sighed. This wasn't her place or scene, this wasn't fun, and this certainly was completely boring. Sure, you saw Baron act like a drunken idiot, but that was every day. Then there was the loud chicken like women who prattled on and on, but once again, that was everyday as well._

_Sighing, she set down her drink and began walking home. Damn her parents if they didn't allow her._

_Once away from the noises of the gathering, she breathed a sigh of relief. In the middle of a field, she sat and looked up at the sky, seeing every star imaginable. Smiling, she traced out the shapes in the stars, wishing she could watch the world from the colored gases of the sky. Faintly, she could still hear the music from the Den Dens but not the noise of the crowds. Turning her head suddenly, a figure came out from behind the trees. From his semi-formal wear, she had to say that he was at the party or trying to be._

"_I'm sorry. I didn't realize there was someone else here."_

_Niri stood suddenly, brushing off her skirt. "Oh no, it's alright. If you want to be here, I can just leave."_

"_No, no. I mean…" He smiled sheepishly. "What I mean to say is that you can stay."_

_Niri smiled and sat back down, trying to seem like she was indifferent to him being there. Looking back up at the sky, she could tell he was looking at her before sitting down and turned his gaze up at the black sky. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see the details in his face, how his hair matched hers but so did his eyes. For some odd reason, she was reminded of Kohie but it was dismissed when the tugging feeling returned tenfold._

_Looking at him, she tilted her head slightly, her face filled with confusion. "I'm sorry, but, have we met before?"_

_The guy looked over at her, a teasing look in his eyes before he grinned. That grin looked natural but it also filled with mischief. "I don't know, maybe." He reached a hand out._

"_I'm Axe."_

A/N: Cliff hanger, I know. Don't worry; the next chapter will explain everything. REVIEW!


	41. Chapter 41

Chapter Forty-One

Disclaimer: I don't own OP.

A/N: Sorry for the delay. I was busy with some things and I had to finish my dream. A lot of research went into this chapter so that meant one thing, it'll have words that many won't recognize, don't worry, there are explanations and or in parenthesis giving lame-man's terms.

"What was that?"

"She murmured something."

"What did she say?"

"I don't know, I couldn't hear it."

"Write down everything that happens then. I want time stamps with every move, every word, everything."

-.-.-

"_I'm Axe." The feeling began tugging at her heart before tears sprung forth in her eyes. What was this feeling? Something was wrong; she could see it in his eyes. Seeing her reflection, she could see her own eyes as they reflected off and how those were reflecting his and forever it went in a cycle. Memories flooding to her, fake and real, were messed up, showing many people present but having copies of themselves. Others were dead and rotting while standing next to their living counterparts._

_Her hands holding her head, tears fell down her face. All these faces, all these voice, everything was mixing up. A tiny hand touched her shoulder before she ripped it off, her nails dripping with blood and slime as she watched her little brother's eyes bulge and grow on stalks, moving up his head as his face flattened and swallowed up details, leaving grey flesh with black spots everywhere. Den Den…_

_What was dead was alive and what was alive was dead. Everything swam around and around, pooling together as she fell into the vortex, clothes shredding as lightning struck and fire burned. Too much…too much…too much…TOO MUCH! Like an explosion, everything was wiped clean, an empty space, white all around. Eyes opened…_

-.-.-

Smoke billowed out in the room, making those inside cough. "We're going to lose them both!"

"Detach it, now!"

"If we remove it, she dies as well."

"She's a criminal; she's going to die anyways."

Niri's hand shot up and gripped the small Den Den on her forehead and peeled it off as her eyes opened. Malice in her eyes, she sat up on the table, throwing the mollusk at a wall, not caring if it had died on impact. Standing, she snarled and growled at everyone in the room. Like a beast was uncaged inside of her, her eyes feral and filled with endless rage.

In the room was equipment all around, other Den Dens in a tank as people in lab coats looked frightened. Some were holding papers but all were terrified. There was one man who looked Niri dead in the eyes. From his uniform, he was a general but she didn't care. Seeing red, she barely saw any details, the ringing in her ears drowning out any noises that might have been a distraction.

Her teeth bared and fingers into claws, she lunged at him, jumping from the table she was on. Catching one ear in one of her hands and his neck in the other, she slashed, feeling blood flow onto her fingers, splattering on her face and arms as he fought back. Punches flew to her face, landing and cracking her zygomatic bone (cheek bone), bruising her eyes, breaking her nose and busting her lip as blood flowed with ease. Still, the pain was drowned out by rage inside of her erupting forth.

The general had raised his hips, wrapping a leg around her neck to snap it but she squirmed free. Her eyes hooded as she licked her lips, tasting the blood that touched them. Smirking, she dropped to be on all fours as she leapt and slashed at anything she touched. One of the men in a lab coat was whimpering in fear. "All we wanted to do was create peaceful subjects; instead, we created a murderer."

Niri's ear twitched as she went to him, grabbing his throat. Throwing him against a wall, she glared heavily at him, her eyes wide under her eyebrows. "You should have never come after me. Torturing a poor innocent girl, shame on you. Your mother should have raised you properly, if she wasn't already too busy with the village men!" She head butted him, not caring if blood dripped from her forehead. Letting the man drop, she raised a foot and buried it in between his legs, hearing a loud and sickening pop.

Backing away, she sensed two men behind her. Turning around quickly, she forced all of her strength in her arms as she grabbed their heads and bashed them together, giving them a kissing fracture. As she watched the two dead men slump to the ground, another man had snuck up behind her and raised a blunt object before cracking it over her head, knocking her out.

The last remaining scientist that wasn't dead or who had ran away screaming had climbed out of under a desk, his pants wet as sweat fell in fat drops as more beaded on his head and neck. "The Den Den just began shaking and trembling while she was screaming. She stopped suddenly and the Den Den was completely still before she sat up and made this mess."

All around, grass was shattered on the ground, fluids pooling together in cracks on the floor, gases filling the air and the cries of the terrified mini Den Dens echoed throughout the room. The marine that had knocked her out had nudged her chest with a foot, watching as her body rolled slightly. "Will she remember any of this?"

The scientist shook his head, trying to collect himself still. "I don't know. The other subjects had either died while in testing or went so crazy that they are vegetables so they were destroyed. We've never had one wake up in the middle and fight back. This is a first and so the outcome is not known."

Shadows loomed over the broken girl as she laid in a cesspool of blood and fluids that were once in test tubes and flasks, barely breathing, barely alive, completely wiped and thoroughly drained.

-.-.-

Weeks since the incident, the team had been disbanded and the project interrupted and discarded, never to be picked up again. The World Government had decided to use a different approach on less violent subjects according to some. In the medic ward, where some of the terminally ill prisoners were held, where others were popping pills to get over a sickness, laid one patient, eyes opened and never blinking at the ceiling above. Never hearing anything, never seeing anything, never responding, never moving.

Inside the mind, little pieces were slowing fitting together, like a giant glass puzzle. Many too small to properly fit, others too big to be moved. Pieces missing, pieces that looked exactly the same as other pieces, pieces moving on their own, others dull, almost dark, some bright and shiny. Never knowing who or what they were, they never stopping, never knowing the reason why to continue, never really quitting, just the need to go on.

"The poor dear," an elderly woman, a nurse by her outfit, had said around the broken body. "To be put through all of that and to never come out of the state of shock."

One of the younger nurses looked at the girl that the other was talking about. "If you ask me, she's never going to come out of it. Everyone says her mind is gone; all that's left is her body. With all the fractures and wounds she has, I wouldn't be surprised if her heart had stopped."

"Don't say that!" The elderly nurse put and hand to her heart, looking down at the wounded girl. "I heard that she was supposed to have visitors. All the guards said that she was to receive one visitor, one that had seen her once before but now, the Warden won't allow it. Says that it wouldn't be fair for someone to visit a dead body. And a Marine sergeant at that."

"A sergeant wanted to see her? Why?"

"Said she was his daughter. I don't see how she could be though. He's a finless fishman," the elderly one said before looking on either side before whispering loudly. "A shark."

The younger giggled, her laughter sounding like a horse. "He probably wanted to eat her corpse."

"Oh hush now."

As the two were giggling and talking about the shark man, the girl's eyes slightly focused. In her mind, as her body stood up, looking down at the glass puzzle below her, many of the pieces began to reshape themselves, flying to meet each other as they sealed together, as if they were never broken in the first place. Each of these pieces had faces on them; many of the faces were moving, as if laughing or talking, each one with a different emotion, a different reaction.

Something like a breeze flew through her as she saw many other faces, those triggering other pieces to meet each other. Curious, she looked at more and more of those pieces; each time, they'd trigger more and more pieces.

One face brought the red pieces, another face brought a fuzzy piece, many filled with laughter, other with tears. Wondering about the other pieces, why they were moving, she looked at one, one that was filled with pain, with tears and suffering. The boy was ripping something, something that was so precious. Though she saw his face, that other pieces were placed in their spot, she didn't move. This piece was important.

Something was flying in the air, like petals from a flowering tree, like snowflakes in the cold winter, landing on the water, some sinking, others staying afloat. One piece caught her eye. Sam.

Without warning, pieces of the glass stood up, some as tall as her, all rushing towards her body, going through her before meeting their places. These pieces met with more and more pieces, all faces and names. Only stopping at one, she saw a face, a face that brought two names out.

On the outside, eyelids closed slowly, eyes focused before they opened again, light entering them for the first time. First came the brightness of the lights, second came the pain from eyes closing up, scrunching the face. Whining, she brought her hands up, tenderly feeling her face, noticing that there was something off about it, her breath telling her that her ribs were fixed again and that it had been a while since she had taken a huge breath. Sitting up, her bones and muscles complained but as she twisted and turned, she never felt any better.

Looking around, she had seen many other beds near her. Some with people badly wounded in them, others who were tied down; many asleep, others awake but merely looking around the room as well. The only thing that brought out any worry to her was a man standing over the side of a bed, words flowing out of his mouth as a man on the bed was twitching before a last breath had escaped. The man standing over whispered a few times before leaving the bedside.

Something was off, she could feel this. A doctor walked into the room, quickly rushing to her side as she looked around. "Hold still, you're still a bit hurt."

"Save for my face, I'm fine. What happened? Where am I?"

The doctor had picked up a tiny light and waved it in front of her eyes, watching the pupils dilate before her laced his hand on her neck, under the jaw, pressing in as he moved her tonsils, getting a pulse. "You are in Grew Waters Prison, you were sent here-"

"By mistake. I know my crime and punishment. I meant HERE."

"The medical ward. You were badly damaged when you were transported here a while ago."

She blinked, trying to remember. "The last thing I can remember, I was drugged late one night. Then I had a dream and then I woke up here." The doctor merely checked the chart at the foot of her bed, writing down some notes. "What happened to me?"

"You went through a mental breakdown. You never moved, never blinked, never did anything that we didn't do for you. You were delivered in the afternoon sometime after you went through some testing that was later turned into a failure. You were in the testing for maybe a week or so then taken here to the ward. You've been in that bed for maybe four or five months now."

Her head began to spin. "That's not possible."

"Then how would you explain your face? If you hadn't noticed, you did break it."

She shook her head hard, feeling the whipping sting around her neck before it began hitting her face. "I must have fallen."

"Keep telling yourself that," he said, placing the pen back in his front coat pocket. "We had to reposition it. Luckily it was a clean break here," he said, pointing to the left of her nose. "And here." He touched right in front of her ear. "We did surgery, but nothing drastic. We had to put a few pin in to keep the bone steady as it regrew. After that was done, we opened you back up and took them out. It only took six weeks but we were cautious and had to tie you to the bed in case you woke up during the healing time."

Putting a hand on her cheekbone, she thought she could feel the break but then again, she hadn't felt anything in a long time. "Would I have died?"

"Had you not been here, most likely."

"Damn," she swore lowly. Getting off the bed, she stretched, noticing that her clothes were a bit too small, that her front was a bit stretched. She grew taller in that length of time. "It was half a year when I was brought in, if your math is right, which means it's almost been a year since I've been here." She ran her hand through her hair, noticing that it was longer as well.

"Welcome back to the living world, Niri."

A/N: Alright, that chapter is over. I had to wait for the other half of my dream THEN I need help putting Niri back together. Pain in the butt really but hey, at least I got some of it done.


	42. Chapter 42

Chapter Forty-Two

Disclaimer: I don't own OP.

A/N: So I had these ideas in my head due to some art I've started drawing, some anime I have seen and one dream I had. So here goes.

Now eighteen years old, Niri stood on her hands in the middle of her cell. Blood rushed to her face, her clothes beginning to slide down her body due to gravity. If it wasn't for bindings, the prisoner across the hall would have gratifying himself. Concentrating on the task at hand rather than the prison, she parted her legs, the coldness spreading as the blood traveled quickly as she left her toes pointed. With one foot in front of her and the other behind her, she let gravity take effect, stretching her muscles when she herself couldn't. Pulling her legs back together, she made them switch sides, counting in her head before she pointed them back at the ceiling above her. Taking a deep breath, she parted her legs once more, appearing to perform "the splits" before she angled her hips, pulling her lower body down so that her knees were around her elbows as she held herself above the ground.

Letting out a breath, she lowered herself on the ground before she rubbed her wrists. Though she wasn't strong enough to do body push-ups, she still had enough balance to do handstands and stretch her body as much as she could before she began each day. Every day and night it was like this, ever since her coma. Raising her arms, she grabbed her elbow behind her head and pulled while her arm pushed a different direction. Sighing, she stretched her arms out in front of herself, touching her toes and grabbing the bottom of her feet, feeling the familiar burn of her legs and back.

True, she did have what she called black outs. These were usually caused by a familiar touch. Her eyes would empty of life as a breathy gasp escaped her lips. Her body would react on animalistic instinct, killing and shredding anything it touched before she woke up again. She never remembered what happened with each black out but they were becoming less and less frequent. Blinking, she raised her body back up, stretching her back as she twisted around before standing. Cracking her knuckles, she grinned as the loud cracks filled the air, sickening some of the prisoners. Each pop sounded as if fingers were breaking. Nasty habit, but still, it was fun to turn others green.

A buzzing noise filled the air as doors opened. Walking through, she followed the crowd as they walked to the yards. Heading to her corner, she glared at any that came near. The hot boxes were filled today, the cage abandoned and rusted but still people crowded the area, hoping that the fights would come back. Blinking, the blue eyed girl sometimes regretted killing the warden, just so they would have something to do and she could have some new possessions in her grasp. That's when it happened.

Whoops and hollers were heard around the prison. Prisoners in the yard and the guards on the walls all looked around before everyone heard powerful waves crashing. Niri looked up at the sky, trying to determine the sound of the noises outside. Whatever she guessed, she was wrong.

Outside the walls, a group of mercenaries, bounty hunters, pirates, even just regular people, were traveling on the water, each one on a machine that traveled on the water, shooting water through a series of pipes with every inch that it traveled. Powered by Dials, these loud machines were drowned out by the cries of the riders. One in particular raised a gun to the prison, letting the hot metal fly. Many of the guards had pointed their rifles and let loose on the riders, killing and wounding many.

One rider grinned before revving their machine, their water bike, causing them to go faster towards the island before making a hard right turn, splashing many on the high wall. Let out a laugh, the rider rode back to their group, whooping loudly, in many tones and octaves, as if signaling.

Some of the prisoners inside the walls took this as their opportunity to escape, climbing the wall, pushing away the guards and stealing their guns and jumping off or just by slipping past them to dive into the waters below. Niri looked up at the wall, seeing many climb out before shaking her head. Gripping onto a rock, she pulled herself up, working her way up, watching the commotion outside. One guard cried out, causing her to lose her grip. As she fell back to the grounds inside the prison, she curled her body up, waiting to hit the ground so that she could roll, only to feel arms catch her.

Looking up, she blinked at the prisoner before she was set down. No thanks was needed or necessary as he climbed where she was, taking his chance to freedom. Narrowing her eyes, Niri just shook her head. She didn't want freedom just yet. She wanted one of those bikes however. Just the thought of traveling that fast made her blood excited. Her eyes sharpened as she heard a multitude of things: riders being arrested, guards having trouble with the bikes, more whooping and hollering as more and more riders took on those that escaped but what she paid close attention to was the sounds of the water bikes.

Rubbing her hands together, her mind began to wander about the possibilities. Sound there be some arrested and put in this very prison, would the new warden have to use the new machines just outside the prison, just out of the reach of the island? Would he be like the last warden and use it to his advantage, to see who was better at what task was at hand?

If she were placed on one of the magnificent bikes, how fast would she go? Faster than any ship, faster than a merman perhaps? Grinning, she made her way back to her cell, walking to her bunk and sitting on it, knowing full well that they would transfer many of their captives in the empty cells. She will put this to great use.

-.-.-

As predicted, many were caught and barred. But what came to a surprise to Niri was that her cell was opened and a tan woman, slightly older than her, was shoved in. Her dread locks shook as she twisted her head around, ready to attack but the door shut too soon. The woman made noises in her throat, rolling her tongue many times in the different sounds. Hissing like a snake, the woman finished her rant with a loud scream, sounding like a black cougar.

Turning her head, Niri saw dark eyes glare at her. The woman snorted at Niri, making the noises again, as if trying to talk to her. The former Marine just blinked and shook her head slowly. The woman clucked her tongue and nodded. "Ah, I see." The woman, from the looks over it, was never given a uniform, her dress still on her. "You speak language?" she asked brokenly.

"Yes, I speak this language very well," Niri replied.

The woman pointed to herself. "Not so good."

Niri shrugged a shoulder and looked away before turning her gaze back at the new prisoner. "Your outfit," she said, pulling at her own to make a point. "They didn't give you a uniform."

The woman looked down at her dress. A sandy color, with slitted skirt up to her hips, without shoulders, it hugged her body tightly, showing more than needed in Niri's opinion. Making a noise, the former raised an eyebrow and assumed it was the word for dress. Looking up with her dark eyes, the woman slapped herself on the bare part of her chest, making a heavy noise, like a hollow thud that rang through her bones and lungs. "Nifernia." She then pointed to Niri. "You?"

"Niri Zolaro."

The woman nodded before raising her arms, stretching them and her back as her face scrunched, making the pretty marking below her left eye wrinkle. The kohl on her eyelids so dark and heavy, Niri could have sworn that they were tattooed on instead of applied. When Nifernia opened her dark eyes again, she lowered herself to be crouch, her long legs curving beautifully through the slits of the dress. Golden sandals on her feet, silver anklet above the sandals with temple bells tickling gently together. Rings on her toes, they shone in the light, revealing the many colors of the metals and stones. Matching rings on her long fingers gave her an air of regal, only adding to the air of royalty she carried by the way she held herself and moved.

Niri blinked, watching the woman stretch out her muscles, noting how each on was fluid and graceful. "You're very cat like." Nifernia looked up and tilted her head. Realizing that the woman had limited vocabulary, Niri made loose fists, raising one to be under her chin, the other to be above her head. "Nya."

"Nyana," Nifernia replied with a smile.

"Cat," the sniper said, pointing at the woman.

Nifernia looked at herself and grinned. "No, I…" she paused as she searched for the right word before raising an arm, coning her hand and raised it, making it bob before she lowered it, sliding it smoothly.

"Snake."

The woman smiled and nodded before pointing to her marking. Going to Niri, she made sure that she got a closer look. The mark was a cobra, its hood spread in worship, the tail coiled under it as the tongue was out, flickering out. Niri knew of snakes, knowing that they lashed out their tongues like lightning, that their strike was fast as a whip and their bite was like a bullet. This woman who moved like a cat proclaimed to be snake like. Not a good combination.

Cats are cunning, tricky little creatures, only second to a fox. Able to rearrange their bones to fit into small spaces, they were deadly and fast. Snakes, however, were simple creatures who were known to have smooth scaly skin, like cold water but their tongues lashed out, flickering fast, like fire and lightning. Able to move quickly, they hid fangs in their mouths and only raises their heads to bite. This woman was claiming to be snake but she moved like cat. If she was really both, then she would be a deadly enemy.

Nifernia raised a finger and tapped Niri's nose with it before winking, her cat eyes makeup giving her a mysterious look. "Nyana."

Blinking, the sniper blushed from embarrassment. "I'm not a cat," she huffed out. Nifernia just smiled, reminding Niri of a cat. This woman was maddening. Changing the subject, Niri looked out the window before her blue eyes looked into the dark eyes of the other. "Where you part of them?"

Nifernia looked out the window as well, listening to the blue outside and the sputtering of the engines. Nodding, she looked back at Niri before pounding on her chest, buffing it up proudly. "I leader."

"You're the captain of the barrage?" Niri asked in shock, her jaw lowered. Not even Prelude was captain of a squad…as far as she knew…

"Me and my man leaders. We ride fast and hard, left, right, straight, curved or turn. Others come, they bow to us, we let them in, they ride with us." Though her broken speech sounded like happiness, there was a sad look in her eye.

Niri put a hand on Nifernia's shoulder. "What happened to your man?"

Nifernia put a hand to her belly, below her navel, parallel to her hips. "Died. Drowned. Great fire bird from fruit, he fought and shielded us. But, storm came, I fell from _Phoenix_, he come and saved me and drowned." Niri's eyes widened. Her man, her lover, the father of the child she was carrying, was a Devil Fruit User? Great fire bird…could his fruit have been a Zoan Fruit, the Tori Tori no Mi: Model Phoenix? If so, how could he stay in motion while on the bike?

Though all of these questions rose up in her mind, Niri didn't dare ask them aloud. Patting the mattress next to her, she watches as the tanned woman sat. This woman, this animal woman, was pregnant, her lover dead, was rallying up a barrage of riders until she was arrested and sent to this cell. For a split second, Niri wondered how far on the Grand Line she had been, if she had seen Axe or any of her other friends or even her adopted and unofficial family.

Looking back at the woman, she stared at her lower belly, where her womb would be. Prison was no place for a pregnant woman. Babies were brought in this world everywhere, that was true, but never in a prison. She thought that some of the Marines would have at least known this but apparently, they didn't. They didn't even give her a medical checking or scrub her in the showers like they did with every other prisoner.

Getting up quickly, she grabbed a skin bag of water, one that she had taken from one of the passing guards, and gave it to Nifernia. She knew that pregnancy was difficult, that women needed fluids in their bodies, proper meals and a stable environment. Bars and dirty cells were not proper. Thinking about it, neither did having a baby in the middle of Aran Island, in the meadow where the sun was just rising and the last star was outshone by the greatest star.

Nifernia did drink from the skin but only a swig before handing it back, murmuring a thanks in her hissing tongue. Niri shook her head and turned away, looking out of the bars of her cell as she began to think of a way to somehow get the woman and her baby out of here.

-.-.-

The warden, General Ishka, had looked at the bikes in custody, looking them over carefully, inside and out. "Captain Chi Fu," he called out.

Within seconds, a lanky captain strode in the holding area. "Sir."

"Inform the others that I have a new game."

"Sir?"

"We are to have races."

A/N: Okies, as I said, the bikes are modeled after a design I drew. Now note, I didn't even THINK about jet skis when I drew it and wrote it out. But her you go. Don't worry, the next few chapters will end up being an arc. THE END IS IN SIGHT! Review!


	43. Chapter 43

Chapter Forty-Three

Disclaimer: I don't own OP.

A/N: So a lot has happened over the course of the week. Don't worry, I'm alright, more or less. I'm still writing but the only thing is, you'll feel my feelings in them. Enjoy.

In the yards, for the second time that day, Niri held Nifernia's hand tightly as they walked through to Niri's favorite spot in the yard. Of course, this meant that the others would be out as well, many of them part of Nifernia's group but they didn't go to her or she to them. It seemed like there was a mutual understanding. That is, until one of them spat in her direction, making low hissing sounds. Niri raised an eyebrow and pulled the woman along, trying to make sure that they didn't run into anymore of her friends.

Glaring, Niri's eyes turned ice blue, threatening anyone who dared to come near the two. As the new prisoner looked around, watching the others walk around, Niri sat down in the shade, closing her eyes to think about all that has happened. "Nyana." Opening her eyes, Niri looked at the woman, raising an eyebrow. It seemed to her that she picked up a new nickname but at least this one wasn't Princess. "I sick," she murmured before turning her head to puke.

Covering her nose and mouth, Niri looked away, trying to block out the sound. Even if she wasn't a sympathetic vomitter, it was still sickening to see. Standing up, she ran to a guard, ready to ask for her to take Nifernia to the clinic or something but before she could get halfway, several men stopped her. Backing up slightly, she saw the hate in their eyes before she began to wonder what they wanted with her. It was only then that she realized that she left Nifernia alone. Looking back at the woman, Niri sighed in relief before the spark in her mind told of that she made a bad move.

Thankfully, the new warden blew a whistle, making the sharp note ring in everyone's ears. "Attention all, due to today's excitement, we have decided to make what we have captured into everyone's enjoyment. We will no longer have cage fights, no more obstacles to overcome, but races!" Races? Niri slowly backed away to be at the pregnant woman's side, to pull her into a standing position and the two slipped away back to their cell.

-.-.-

Though the races intrigued her, Niri didn't leave Nifernia's during her pregnancy. During the first few months, she was awoken by hacking noises and held back her hair, rubbing the woman's back. When the cravings came, she snuck out to get what was wanted, desired, but even the prison wouldn't let the two stay out for too long.

In the middle of the night, the door opened with a clanging noise, heavy and dull. Niri shot straight up as Nifernia held her belly, backing away from the entrance. "Niri Zolaro, Nifernia, Captain of Water Cobras, you are needed in the warden's office," a guard stated as two more men grabbed them by their arms, handcuffing their hands behind their backs and marched them to the office.

Niri sighed but kept an eye on Nifernia. Pregnancy was a delicate thing. Any wrong movement and Nifernia would scream as blood would run down her legs and an under developed child leave her body. Gritting her teeth, Niri looked away, determined to set the woman free. Even if it meant that she'd die, Niri was determined to make things right.

As the two women were shoved into the warden's office, Niri fell foreword, her face scrapping across the floor beneath her before she shifted her knees beneath her, pushing herself up, staring at the man before her. Quickly standing, she let out a feral growl to him. "What do you want with us?"

"So, the murderess speaks."

"I only killed to save my own skin!"

The warden just grinned at her, the sneer looking disgusting on his face. "So you did." Turning away, he picked up a file, a large one with many papers in it. "It seems like you two are the only ones who have not competed. Even the new inmates have and yet you two haven't. Care to explain?"

Nifernia looked over at Niri, her brown eyes wide. Niri saw the worried look on her face before looking back at the warden. "Why should we have to explain ourselves to you, asshole?" Curling her lip, she bared her teeth, her narrowed eyes going wide as she lowered her head. If she could push her body up while he leaned over, she could possibly catch his throat in her mouth, but knowing her luck, it probably wouldn't happen.

General Ishka looked back over to the girls and backhanded Niri. "You shouldn't speak like that to your warden, little girl." Niri spat out the blood that gathered in her mouth, tasting the coppery liquid. "Since you have a wicked tongue, maybe we should teach you some manners."

"Teach her how to use it, you mean," one guard said.

Niri glared over at the guard. "You even TRY and I swear I will bite it off at the base." Turning back to the warden, she heard Nifernia shift near her. Drawing near Nifernia, Niri stretched out her fingers, feeling the other's dress as her eyes narrowed slightly.

Warden Ishka grinned. "Tell you what, if you do as I say, I'll wipe away some of the charges against you," he said in an oily voice. When the former Marine lifted an eyebrow, his grin grew. "The charges of assaulting a guard, threatening the life of the warden and, oh yes, making one a eunuch."

"Keep threatening me these charges and I'll see to make you all eunuchs!"

"Now, where would all the fun go if you went through with it all?" Ishka straightened up and looked away from the girls. "We know of her pregnancy. We'll terminate unless you do as we say." Nifernia moved closer to Niri. "Don't worry, it will be clean. You will race, be our representative. And you will win them all."

Niri looked away. "Should I fail?"

"Consider the unborn to stay unborn."

-.-.-

Screaming at the top of her lungs, Niri flung everything she could grab against the wall. "That lowlife bastard!"

Nifernia put a hand to her cell mate's shoulder. "Nyana, we safe?"

"For the time being." Sighing heavily, Niri punched the bars. "Damn it all!" Chewing on her lower lip, the former Marine curled a fist. "I'll kill him next. I swear it."

Nifernia rubbed Niri's back, trying to calm the girl down but nothing was helping. "It be alright," she whispered softly.

"If I want to save your baby's life, I must do as he says."

A/N: End of chapter. Review.


	44. Chapter 44

Chapter Forty-Four

Disclaimer: I don't own OP.

A/N: LET THE RACES BEGIN!

With the sun bearing down heavily from the heavens above, the riders of the repossessed bikes revved the engines up, some water shooting out through the pipes. Gritting her teeth, Niri lowered her body, her chest nearly touching the framing of the bike beneath her. Looking over the waters, her vision sharpened onto the buoy a few hundred yards from the starting point. It was a normal race, from what one could tell. Circle around the buoy and head back to the beginning. Winner gets to do as they wish for a day, keeping in mind that they must stay inside the prison.

Closing her eyes, she waited for the sounds of a gun to go off, signaling that the race has begun. With this much power in between her legs, at her fingertips, she could easily slip away but the threat of losing Nifernia's child would be too much for her to bear. Hearing the two clicks of a hammer being pulled back, Niri's eyes shot open as the gun went off. Without waiting to see what the others were doing or how they fared with starting their bikes, she hit the accelerator, flying past waves and waves of water. How she started it up and made the bike go so fast was new to her and unexplainable but she liked it.

Like second nature, she tilted her body to hang to the left as the bike began to turn left. From what she saw, three people were still at the beginning but there were many catching up to her. Looking back for a split second, she saw one man reaching out to grab her to shove her off of the bike, as he had done to one person just a few feet back.

Grinning, she lifted her body to stand on the bike, pulling on the handles to lift the nose up, making his hand grasp only air when he caught up. When the nose of the bike hit the waters again, she sped off, seeing the warden looking pleased and Nifernia rubbing her abdomen.

Shifting her weight to be on her side, the former Marine felt the bike's side touching the waters before she stopped the engine. Coming to a complete stop, she splashed those waiting at the beginning before crossing her arms against the handles, a devil-may-care grin on her face. "I won."

Nifernia smiled, knowing that the child she carried was safe. Niri however, though very happy that she won, knew that this was going to be the longest pregnancy of her life and she wasn't even pregnant! She'd have to find out exactly when Nifernia figured out she was and do a little math to figure out the exact date. That would only lead to another problem but that one could get figured out later.

Getting off the bike, she stood before the warden. "I request that Nifernia sees the clinic and that I go with her."

"Fine. Remember our bargain, little princess."

"Call me that again and I'll shove a gull up your ass."

-.-.-

Holding the tanned woman's hand, she had to turn away from looking at what the doctor was doing to Nifernia's body. This freaked her out to no end. Turning slightly green, she swore up and down that should she ever get pregnant, she'd want the doctor to try another method of checking the baby's health.

"Baby is fine, ten fingers, ten toes, a face and a gender. A little boy," the doctor said, slipping the latex gloves off his hands.

Niri looked back as her cell mate sat back up, her knees coming together and straightened her dress. "Can you tell how long the pregnancy is?"

The doctor just looked at the two women. "It's amazing that she isn't even showing with how late she is. Give it two months, maybe, and you'd see him in person."

"Seven months?"

Nifernia looked up at Niri with a smile. "It takes nine."

"Yes, I know, smartass," the sniper said with a grin. "Doc, listen to me, I need to get her and her baby out of this prison. I'm begging you, don't tell the warden how far along she is."

The doctor nodded, his eyes closing. "I'm a prisoner here myself. The warden gave me this job, considering that the late one didn't even think about the prisoners' health."

"Grey Water isn't exactly paradise, doc. When I was serving, there were many deaths here. I'm surprised that there is enough ground for the kinds to play on or the waters clear enough."

"They cremate them. The bodies are stored for booking then they are cremated."

Niri shuddered, remembering waking up to a corpse beside her. "Thanks." Pulling Nifernia away, her mind was wheeling with possibilities. With only two months of planning, Niri would have to work fast to see that both mother and child got out alive. There was a biting thought in the back of her mind, that she should go with them to make sure that they were safe.

"Nyana." The two stopped, looking at each other. "Nyana, I scared." Nodding, Niri put a hand on the other's belly. "What if…"

"No, everything will be fine and you and your baby boy will see the outside world. I will not let this child be denied the world he's meant to torment."

Nifernia nodded, saying something in her language before smiling at Niri. "We be free." She said the word again, causing the other to smile and nod.

Passing by several cells, the air filled with harsh word, death threats and even catcalls to the two passing by. Had Niri had her gun, she could easily shoot them all in the head, between their eyes, breaking through their nasal cavities. A little fantasy filled her head, that she was in a gun fight.

_With a gun in each hand, Niri would hide behind a pillar, hearing the bullets fly, some colliding with the pillar or the wall in front of her. She would raise the guns to be parallel to the pillar before twisting her body around the edge, firing several rounds into those firing at her, her eyes narrowed slightly from the bright blasts exiting the barrels of the guns. When there would only be one left in the chamber, she'd turn back around, either filling in more if the gun was a revolver, like her father's gun, or put in a new clip, should it be an automatic, much like Tarlong's was._

_After waiting for the opposing side to reload, she'd turn her body again, firing more and more rounds, landing several bullets inside the crowns of those she was shooting at, blood and brain matter flying out of the exiting hole as the body would fly backwards, arms swinging up towards the heavens as feet gave out to the body's weight suddenly shifting. Should they be holding a gun, the body would have its death spasm; the trigger pulled firing off a bullet randomly._

Grinning, Niri's eyes focused, her finger aching to pull a trigger to let out hot and heavy lead into a person's being. To see death again, her body began to tingle as a bloodlust rose, the caged beast inside her chest roaring to be released. Her nails begged for blood, to feel a person's throat in them as their life slipped away.

Letting go of the anger for the moment, Niri guided her cell mate into their cage before the door shut on them. Making sure she was on the other side of the room, Niri sat down on the ground hard, he long hair falling in front of her face as her body rocked back and forth. Her blue eyes searched the ground, trying to find answers of escape.

Should she cut herself in the water, maybe her family could find her and help them escape! But as quickly as that thought entered her head, Niri dismissed it just as quick. If fishmen suddenly showed up and helped two women escape from a prison, the species would be hunted down into extinction and there was no way in the seven hells that she would want that.

Nifernia sat next to her cell mate, her head on the sniper's shoulder. "Nyana, we be okay," she said, rubbing her belly. "Baby okay, I okay, you okay."

"Nothing will be right until I make sure that that baby is living outside of these bars," Niri growled out. "Besides, you only have two more months, which means I need to win these races until we figure out an escape."

-.-.-

In the dead of the night, blue eyes opened it a blue lit room. Sitting up from her makeshift bed on the floor, Niri looked around the room, the sparks in her mind going crazy. Looking at Nifernia, she saw that the woman slept soundly. Standing, Niri went to the edge of the bars, grabbing the two needles and picking her lock. Slipping out of the cell carefully, the sniper looked around to make sure that no one saw her. Sliding the door closed again, she felt the sparks go off more and more with every step she took.

Slipping out into the yard, she looked up see the full moon. A shudder ran through her frame as she saw a flickering light in the warden's office. The feeling of a pulse fading in her hand suddenly became all too real again as a memory came to mind. Grinning, her eyes focused in on the office, it suddenly getting closer as her vision sharpened. Widening her eyes, Niri hunched her back, her weight suddenly shifting from her whole foot to the balls of her feet as she arched her feet, standing on her toes now.

She could climb the wall again and slip into his office and kill him. Before she even took one step though, Niri froze as a gentle wailing sound resonated along the walls of the yard. "I heard that noise once before," she whispered to herself. Looking around, she knelt down into a corner. Nothing could attack her back if there was nothing behind it. "That bat girl, that damned Devil Fruit User. Where are you, you freak?"

A soft giggling came from above as a dust and dirt flew around, a heavy sound of rushing wind prominent. Niri raised two arms, guarding her face and eyes from the debris. "Well, well, if it isn't you?"

Lowering her arms, the prisoner snarled. "I thought I caught you."

The bat shaped girl smiled, pointy teeth rowed neatly in her mouth. "You did but no prison can hold me for too long. I am a flyer; you should know that no cage can hold me."

"I thought it was a bird that was hard to trap."

"Bats are much harder than feathered rats!"

Niri rolled her eyes. "Enough of this. What do you want?"

The Devil Fruit User smiled as the extra skin began to shrink back, her bones popping and crunching as her fingers shrank, her back straightening out, her legs drawing back to their natural position. "I needed to feed. But since you're out here, I think I'll do more than that."

Niri's eyes widened as the Devil Fruit User opened up her mouth wide, shriek erupting from her throat. Grabbing her head, the sniper ran away quickly. Running through the corridor, Niri slid as she passed her cell. As she threw open the cell and slammed the door, she heard several inmates around her wake up suddenly from the loud noise. Walking to her canteen, the prisoner put a hand to her ear, pulling away as she felt a sticky substance on her fingertips.

"That bitch made me bleed. She's a dead bat if I ever see her again!" Dumping the water from her canteen to clean her ears, Niri had a bad feeling that the Devil Fruit Zoan was going to be a lot worse from here on out.

-.-.-

"She's out. The little sneak can escape whenever she wants."

"Tomorrow, she's going to have a little accident. See to that."

"Gladly."

A/N: Yes, I brought back a Devil Fruit user from the past. Major fighting in future chapters. Stay tuned!


	45. Chapter 45

Chapter Forty-Five

Disclaimer: I don't own OP.

A/N: Hey, thanks for all your reviews. Major fan-service in this chapter. Hopefully I won't get all the pervs going "MORE MORE MORE!"

Engines revved louder and louder as the water bobbed the bikes and riders up and down. Cries and cheers of the crowd roared with life as the buoys moved in circles from the passing water bikes. With eyes wide, ignoring the sting of the water splashing to her eyes and the wind penetrating sharply, Niri's heart pounded with excitement as she rose to stand on the bike, her elbows and knees bending with every bounce so that she would be still. Forgetting about the risks for what seemed to be seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks, months, years, forever, she briefly felt freedom as she opened her arms wide, throwing her head back and howling at the top of her lungs.

Being the winner again, the sense of security filled her more than the rush of the races. Her ankles dug into the sides of the engines, making sure she wouldn't fall as she tilted left, the whole bike spinning as she raised her arms, hair swirling in the natural wind and that caused from the spinning bike. Freedom sang in her blood, her eyes closing, her body getting dizzy. Finally sitting back down, Niri let out a sigh of happiness, something she hadn't felt in such a long time but on opening her eyes, her vision still spinning, she caught the glimpse of feet flying past her face.

Snapping her head straight, her eyes followed the feet, widening from the familiarity of them before she grabbed the handle bars, revving the engine as she raced back to open waters. Growling, she raised the nose of the bike over the waves, ignoring the sputtering sounds that were erupting from the engine from over-use. As the pregnant woman screamed, her body struggling to get free from the grasp of bat feet, her nails trying to claw to be released. A sudden freedom made her gasp before her body was plunged into the waters below.

Niri's eyes widened as she neared where Nifernia was, diving quickly from the bike. Meeting the cold waters, she raised her head to take a giant gulp of breath before diving back down. With the salty water stinging her eyes, filling her ears and pushing against her chest, Niri dove deeper, watching the bubbles escape from Nifernia's mouth as her unconscious form sank. It was a bit odd, watching a normal woman sink when she didn't eat a Devil Fruit. Fear rang in Niri's heart when blood erupted from Nifernia's womb. The baby…

Gritting her teeth, Niri stopped swimming, treading water as she saw Nifernia hit a coral floor a few feet from her. Gritting her teeth, the sniper opened her mouth, letting bubbles escape as she ripped her teeth against her wrist, letting her blood flow. Within seconds, sharks circled around the two women. Gripping onto the dorsal fin of one, Niri guided it down to Nifernia as another began to nuzzle Nifernia's side.

Kicking the nuzzling shark on its snout, Niri sunk to Nifernia's side, picking up the pregnant woman carefully, shifting a hand to the woman's core to see how far the baby had left. With an apology ringing in her head, Niri closed her eyes, letting her fingers guide her. With a satisfied smile, Niri's relief came when later feeling a cut just inches away. Grabbing back onto a nearby shark, the sniper tapped its underbelly, forcing it to swim up slowly. All around sharks followed them, nuzzling both women before getting kicked away.

Finally reaching the surface, Niri let the shark go before getting on the bike, heaving her cell mate up to carry her back to safety. Thought the bike sputtered, Niri revved the engine, flying back to the starting line. Glaring heavily at the warden and his little pet, Niri hopped off her bike, making sure that Nifernia was well wrapped in warm towels and seen to by a doctor quickly. Walking up to the warden, the caged animal inside roared with life.

Her hands into claws, Niri gripped him by his groin, lifting it high in the air as her stood on his toes, trying to get rid of the sharp nails that were firmly secured to his private areas. "You listen and you listen well, don't you EVER sic that freak on my cell mate again or the next time I see you, I'm ripping this off," she said, digging her nails further in, watching him cringe. "And I'll feed it to you. You got me?"

When Warden Ishka just nodded, she released her hand, pushing him over and walked away, giving the Devil Fruit user an evil look that promised death. "You!"

"Me, yes," the Devil Fruit User sneered. Leaning down to Niri's ear, she whispered out, her breath making the hair on the prisoner's neck rise. "If you want some sort of revenge, you'll meet me tonight in the middle of the yards. Expect to die tonight."

"So says the freak," Niri growled out, walking by quickly.

"I'd watch what you say, girl, or the next word will be your last."

"I highly doubt that, freak."

-.-.-

As Niri lay on her cot, she sighed and crossed her arms behind her head, thinking of anything to get her mind off of her missing cell mate. Though the baby wasn't hurt, Nifernia was suffering from water in her lungs and a mild form of hypothermia. Out of the blue, rain thundered hard as the afternoon sun hid in the heavy clouds.

As the rain drizzled lightly as the storm passed, a prisoner suddenly howled. "Full moon out tonight, people!"

Sitting up, she raised an eyebrow. How could they know of the arrangement between her and the Zoan Devil Fruit User? Turning her head, her eyes suddenly began to burn. Prisoners all around were bent over with their pants to their knees, bare bottoms shining in the light from their cells, hairy butts making her skin crawl. The burning in her eyes made her cover them, wanting to rip them out of her skull. Screaming loudly, she felt as if blood ran down her face from her eyes. "You assholes!"

"We told you it was a full moon, bitch!"

"Yeah and when my eyes stop burning, I'm going to slit your throats!" Niri screamed out.

-.-.-

In the dark of the night, the air heavy with humidity as clouds lightly covered the night sky, Niri picked the lock again, slipping through the door before making her way to the yards. Because the humidy was so high, the heat began to take a toll on Niri's body, perspiration making her skin glisten under what little light there was. Slipping off the giant shirt, Niri's undershirt clung to her, revealing every curve she had as she tossed the over shirt away. Opening the door to the outside yards, she took a deep breath in, pulling open the large door. In what little light had shone through the clouds from the moon, Niri could see that the yards were muddy and directly in the middle was the Zoan girl, her smile gleaming through the darkness.

"So, you came." Niri took off her shoes, walking barefoot through the mud, feeling her feet sink with every step. "I was scare you weren't going to make it."

"You should be scared because I'll be kicking your ass!" Niri shouted, not caring if she gets caught anymore. "You never should have gone after my cell mate, but worse yet, you should have never gone after the baby!"

The two girls glared heavily at each other, electricity sparkling through the air. The bat girl grinned, her teeth sharpening as her nose began to flatten, fur starting to spring up on her face. "I will kill you."

"I'd like to see you try." Niri narrowed her eyes, her feet spreading to hold her weight.

The bat girl grinned and charged at Niri, screaming the whole way. Catching around the stomach, she threw the prisoner to the ground. Niri felt her breath get stolen by the impact of the ground but quickly recovered, elbowing the other in the back as she brought her knee up to try and get her ribs. The two girls struggled for a bit before the Devil Fruit user grabbed Niri by the throat, her hands squeezing as she put all of her weight forward, strangling the girl beneath her. With struggling hands, Niri tried to break the hold on her throat, her vision darkening as her breath came in short gasps.

"_Don't ever get caught in this position, Guppy, it spells death."_

"_But sir, should I ever get caught?"_

_Siamon grabbed the young Marine by her throat, lowering her to the ground, making sure that she could still breathe. Putting his hand on one of her thighs, he grinned. "Use your legs. Try and get your captor under the neck." Releasing her, he pulled her up and ruffled her hair. "You're a tough girl, I know you can handle it," he said, grinning as she slapped his hand away._

Trying to draw a breath, Niri hoisted her hips up, stretching a leg to wrap around the Zoan's waist, pulling her closer, the other moving over her shoulders, catching her under the chin. Flexing, she pulled them back to the ground, pulling the girl off of her. Once the air started to flow again, Niri swallowed a deep breath, feeling the blood in her face rushing again. Sitting up, she curled a fist and began to punch the Devil Fruit use in the face. A wing bashed her away, causing her to slide in the mud a bit.

Standing, the bat girl grinned. "Not bad, for a normal human."

Niri grinned. "I was taught well." She stood as well, bracing her weight again before she rushed forwards, throwing her whole weight into a punch, sending both of them to the ground beneath them. With the squishing of mud, Niri felt her face get covered, some mud covering her right eye and sliding down her top. Pushing herself up, she wiped the mud away with the back of her wrist, glaring heavily at the other girl.

The bat girl screamed, taking to the air before swooping back down, grabbing Niri by the hair kicking her several times in the face and chest. Crying out in pain, Niri felt blood flow from her nose, her teeth ripping at the insides of her cheeks and meeting with each heavy blow. As they rose several feet in the air, the two struggled, one from being freed, the other from the equal weight. When her wings gave out, the bat girl screamed, letting her hold go slack as the two fell to the muddy ground beneath them.

As Niri tried to stand to move away, the back of her shirt was grabbed, pulling her back down. Screaming in frustration, she turned, sending a roundhouse kick to the other girl, only falling once it missed. Her mind barely registered the sound of her shirt ripping in the back, the mud preventing her from feeling it slide off her body, down her arms. Shouting, Niri ran to the girl, her arms around her chest as the two slammed into the ground. As the two rolled around, mud covering their skin, Niri finally got her fingers around the other's throat but the wet mud made it difficult to get a good grip.

The Zoan, breathless, muddy, and blushing heavily, smiled. "You're fun. Wish I could keep you as a pet," she purred, lowering before her lips met Niri's. Blue eyes went wide, a blush rising to her cheeks. As the other pulled away, Niri snapped back to reality before shifting her hips, her legs wrapping around the others middle. "Want more, do you?"

"Yeah, I want more," Niri purred, her eyes narrowing seductively. When the Zoan lowered her face again, Niri cupped her cheek and used her other hand to grab the back of her head. "I want you death," she murmured against the other's lips before twisting her arms, breaking the bat girl's neck.

As the weight of the dead girl collapsed on Niri, the prisoner took a deep breath before pushing the dead girl off of her. Sitting up, she wiped her mouth with her arm, not caring if mud covered her face. She knew that her hair was plastered around her face and neck, mud covered her torso like an extra skin and it leaked into her pants, making the legs cling. Looking at the other girl, she smiled. "You know, you weren't that bad of a fighter. If only you kept your libido in check, you might have killed me."

Standing, something on her forehead, what part wasn't covered in mud, made her look up. As if a gift came from the heavens, it began to rain again. Smiling, Niri raised her hands to the sky, letting the mud fall down her body with the rain water. Taking a deep breath, her chest rising, she shouted into the heavens.

A/N: There you go, fan-service. Now, LEAVE ME ALONE! By the way, if anyone of you read the bit with Siamon as SixNiri, YOU'RE ALL SICK!


	46. Chapter 46

Chapter Forty-Six

Disclaimer: I don't OP.

A/N: This fic is getting longer due to a mistake I found. I made it so I have to fix it. Besides, this old prison doesn't have any fishies. THAT'S A BIG NO NO! Also, I've had a lot of things happen between the last chapter and now. I'M SORRY. Sad chapter, be warned.

A scream woke Niri in the dead of the night. Her cell mate had her back arched, her legs parts and bent, fingers digging into the fabric around her. Looking around the woman, Niri's eyes went wide when she saw the pool of water close to the two of them. Quickly grabbing a shirt, she rolled it up, forcing it in between the woman's teeth. "We need you to stay quiet. Just stay calm and do what I say," Niri breathed, trying to remember anything the women on her island had taught her. Pulling off Nifernia's pants, Niri gasped, the fear of childbirth ringing deep in her core. Closing her eyes, Niri muttered a quick prayer before reaching her hands to meet the baby's head. "I can feel him. Nifernia, listen well, I need you to take a deep breath then push, you got that. Take a deep breath," she heard the woman do so. "Now push!"

Muffled screams echoed in the cell but Niri kept her mind on the task at hand before she could worry about anyone else. "Push! You need to push!" With every push of the muscles, Niri inched her fingers away so that the baby could come out and meet the world. Between pushes, Nifernia took several breaths before her body shook with every push. It wasn't long before Niri's eyes went wide. "He's crowning. Come on, Nifernia, please, a few more pushes, a few more and it'll be over, I promise it will be," she ushered. Within moments, the head fully out, Niri took action. Grabbing the baby carefully, she pulled him out, checking him over several times.

"He not breathing," Nifernia sobbed out once the gag was spat out. "He not breathing!"

Niri's eyes misted over as she pressed her mouth against the baby's nose and mouth, breathing air into his lungs. She did this several times, each time she would whisper to the baby in her hands. "Breath, damn you, breath!" Biting her lower lip hard, she flipped the baby and with a loud slap, cries of a child could be heard. Both of the women let out sighs of relief as Niri held him close, tears falling down her face. "I'm sorry I had to hit you, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry."

"Nyana," Nifernia touched Niri's shoulder, a warm smile on her face. The two nodded to each other before the tiny child passed between them. "Cut and clean."

Niri nodded, going to the skin as she stripped her shirt off, letting it soak in the water. Blood on her hands, she gasped, tears falling faster. Was this her redemption? To have a dead man's blood on her hands and now new life's? Was this her father's forgiveness? Cleaning her hands off, she carried the wet shirt to the two on her cot. Taking the baby again, she began to clean his face, seeing that he had his mother's skin and a little bit of hair on his head, little curls. "A heartbreaker."

Reaching under the cot, Niri's fingers felt around for a scalpel she had taken from the Medic Ward. Cutting the baby's cord, she quickly tied it off and handed him back to his mother. With the shirt, Niri then cleaned Nifernia and stripped the cot of its sheets, replacing them with new ones. "You need to see a doctor to help heal you."

"Nyana." Nifernia smiled, putting a hand on the girl's head. "Thank you." Niri just nodded again before tears flooded down her face again.

-.-.-

"You what?!"

"I said I want the two of them out of here! He shouldn't have been born in a prison in the first place!"

"Then she shouldn't have gotten arrested!" Warden Ishka sighed as he laced his fingers together, hiding his mouth behind them as he thought. "I will not let them go."

"He's an innocent! You can't force him to serve with his mother over a crime he didn't commit!"

The Warden opened his eyes, staring at the prisoner in front of him. "Zolaro, my word is law."

"Your word is shit!" Niri shouted, her nails digging themselves in her palms, leaving bloody moon crests. "Why keep a baby here in the prison? You have no right."

"He's not on the books."

Fear rang through Niri. "You wouldn't."

"Watch me."

"He's just a baby! You can't!"

"I can and will. They'll both die tomorrow. If you so much as help them, I'll make sure you die as well."

Gritting her teeth, Niri growled, her vision sharpening. "You bastard."

"Guards, take this prisoner to her cell. Make sure to teach her a lesson before she reaches it though." The guards at the door grinned, grabbing Niri by each arm, pulling her backwards. "Have a good day, Zolaro."

Niri spat in his eyes. "I'LL KILL YOU!" She struggled against the guards, trying to reach the warden. "I'LL KILL YOU!"

A guard grew tired of Niri's screams and elbowed the back of her head, watching the girl pass out and become limp. "Take her away."

-.-.-

"_Niri." Eyes opened to darkness. "Niri."_

"_Who's there?"_

"_Niri." Voices, thousands of them, everywhere, but all speaking as if one._

"_Who are you?"_

"_The path before you is bloody and long. We fear for you."_

"_Seers. Stay out of my head, stay away from me and stay away from my future!"_

"_A glimpse then"_

_Like being a ghost in a room, Niri saw before her blood splattered on the walls, the floor and somehow on the ceiling. A body lay crumpled in the middle of the mess, hair sprawled out, and matting from the blood. Pale skin graying from death could be seen from torn clothes, the body a tangled mess as broken bone was jutting out from the skin, muscle torn away, fingers facing opposite directions, the spin twisted at an odd angle. The fear that would have sent her flying backwards in the opposite direction was somehow gone._

_As Niri drew close the stench of death overwhelmed her as she covered her nose and mouth, trying not to gag. Flies were laying their eggs in the corneas of the dead body's pale blue eyes, the tongue thick, forcing the mouth open. Any distinguishing features the face had were gone from decay and wounds._

_Nudging the corpse onto its back with her toes, Niri's eyes widened, her body no longer able to withstand the image. Turning her head, she felt her body empty the contents of her stomach. Maggots festered in the open wounds of the corpse, beetles already eating away at the dead skin._

"_Why show me this?!"_

"_Do you know her?" The voices whispered out. "Look closely."_

"_If I look any closer, I'm going to get sick again."_

"_Look closer."_

_The body suddenly straightened itself, the maggots falling out of the emptiness of the abdominal cavity, fly eggs disappearing. Like time was reversing, organs hanging from dogs' mouths were returned, skin turning into a healthy glow again, eyes getting clearer. Within seconds, the body's bones fixed themselves, twisted to where they were to be, bruises coming to life then fading from the cheeks and jaw._

_Eyes widening once more, Niri felt her heart stop, a scream bubbling in her throat. The body before her…was her…_

"_You DIE!"_

-.-.-

"Nyana."

Niri opened her eyes to see her cell mate hovering above her, the baby suckling loudly, the images being forgotten at once. "Nifernia." With a gasp, Niri sat up. "We have to get you out of here. They're going to kill you and the baby." Seeing the fear in Nifernia's eyes, she began to think of possibilities. "It has to be tonight, it can't be any other time." Standing, Niri grit her teeth, growling. "That bastard, he swore to me that once the baby was born, the two of you were free. He swore to me!"

Nifernia set a hand on Niri's shoulder. "Nyana, men pigs."

"What?"

"Boy dogs, men, pigs."

"Boys are dogs and men are…pigs…?" Snorting, Niri giggled, grinning from ear to ear. "That's true. Well, I know a little way to make this pig squeal."

If she could get into where the bikes were being held at, she could nab one for the three of them. Though climbing the wall would be difficult, especially since Nifernia gave birth a few hours ago. All that came to mind was her family but she knew that it was so far away and even if they were to escape, the chance of the baby living was far too great to risk it.

Looking at the boy in his mother's arms, Niri nodded. "For his sake, I've gotta try it." Biting her thumb nail, Niri's eyebrows furrowed. "Nifernia, do you remember where they kept the bikes?" The woman nodded. "Good. We need to steal one."

"One? I drive-"

"I'll drive while you hold onto your baby. I don't want you to lose him to the Blue," Niri said quickly. "I nearly died there, I don't want him to."

Nifernia just shook her head, holding her son closely. "I born in sea, my son of sea. My son-"

"Your son may die just like his father if you don't let me help you escape. I don't want the two of you dying. I need you to sneak in the holding bay, make sure to pick the lock and-"

"I no know how."

Niri sighed, Of course. "Fine, I'll do it. Can you climb?" Nifernia nodded. "With him?" She nodded again. "Good, climb on the east wall, the stones are large enough to put as foot rests. Just make him a sling and you should be able to hoist the two of you onto the wall and back over. Don't ask me about the other side, I haven't seen it as of yet."

With that, Nifernia sat down and began to rip her skirt, making a sling. Shaking her head, Niri went to the bars of the cell, fingering the lower bars, almost to the floor. She stopped suddenly when she remembered that she had tossed them out the other night, when she fought against the Zoan. Groaning, she banged her forehead against the bars, listening to the low thud of the echo.

Curling her hands into fists, Niri bit her lower lip hard. "Nifernia." The woman looked up from her work. "Injure me."

"What?"

"Punch me, cut me, break a bone, I don't care! I need to get a few needles in order to get us out of here." The other woman set down her baby on the cot and stood up, going near Niri. "Hurt me."

Screaming, Nifernia threw a punch that landed on Niri's cheek. Niri's vision sharpened when the pain screamed in her face, her teeth gritting as a low growl trembled in her throat. Her fists curled before she slaked her jaw. Nothing was worse than broken teeth or a dislocated one for that matter. If anything, all that would happen is that her teeth would cut against the inside of her cheeks. That could easily be fixed though.

When Nifernia punched Niri in the stomach, right below her ribs, Niri felt like she would never breathe again. The impact made her double over, her lungs getting rid of all the air they were holding, her vision darkened, and her muscles tensed. Landing on her knees, she held her abdomen, trying to get some air.

"HEY, HEY!" A guard who had been passing by yelled out. He opened the door, rushing to Niri's side, seeing the bruise forming on my cheek. "Dammit, come on, get up." He hoisted Niri up, pulling an arm around his neck while he dragged her away. "You had better be lucky you have a baby or I would have given you the same treatment!" he snarled at Nifernia.

As the air slowly returned, Niri's vision became blurry as she was sat down. "Found this being beaten. The warden says he has something in mind for those two."

"Two?" The prison doctor asked, tenderly feeling Niri's cheek as she hissed in pain. "She's given birth?"

"Apparently. Her belly's flat and there was a boy on the bed," the guard said before leaving the room. Probably to stand outside and escort Niri back to her cell.

The doctor looked at Niri. "You delivered."

Sapphire eyes looked up. "I had to."

"You could have killed the baby."

Niri shook her head. "I knew exactly what I was doing."

The doctor growled as he turned his back to her. Using this time, Niri looked over to the metal tray next to her, scalpel and other medical supplies resting on it. Being careful, she grabbed to needles and slipped them into her pants, making sure that her waistband was securing them against her skin.

"Well, I guess I can't really help you with the bruising except to cut it and drain it of the blood or it'll swell."

"I'd rather deal with that then another scar, thanks," Niri murmured.

The doctor nodded and waved her along, his back still turned. Grinning, Niri stood and left the ward. When she left, the guard was to her right and walked two feet behind her as they returned to the cell. "I could separate the two of you."

"We're fine."

"Are you sure?"

"Positive."

-.-.-

As darkness fell over the prison, Niri slowly picked the locks of her cell while Nifernia kept her baby quiet. Time was running out on them. With a final click, Niri pushed the door open, tucking the needles back into her waistband as she motioned for Nifernia to run to the yard. As Niri ran to the holding bay, she could hear the silence roar in her eyes. With every push from her toes, she ran faster and faster, sliding as she turned a corner.

Rushing and jumping downstairs, her arms slammed into the wooden door of the holding bay, the sound of water waving against the wood echoed loudly, giving some relief to Niri. Something padded behind her, spinning her around quickly, her fist already swinging.

"Nyana."

Her fist stopped. "What are you doing here?"

"Guards, they coming!" The baby in her arms began to cry, his powerful lungs being used. "Hurry."

Nodding, Niri quickly unchained one bike and pushed it to the grate that separated the open from the locked up. "Get on the bike, I'll pick the lock." As Nifernia got on, starting the engine and revved it up, Niri began picking the lock. As it clicked open and taken off, guards began storming in the bay. "GO! GET OUT OF HERE!"

"Nyana-"

"GO!"

As the woman revved the engine, driving out of the bay, Niri began to fight the guards that were trying to stop them. As she broke noses and felt her body get punched and kicked, all she could think about was their safety. Someone had grabbed her by her throat and held her high in the air as her legs kicked under her.

"Stop."

From over the guard's shoulder, Niri saw the warden, an oily grin on his face. "Let us walk to the east wall. There's something I want her to see."

As they left the room, Niri felt a barrel of a gun pressed against the back of her neck. This wasn't going to end well as she knew it. From the top of the east wall, she could see Nifernia lingering only slightly, moving the bike maybe ten feet before circling it around to look back at the prison. "She truly is an idiot."

From the corner of her eye, Niri saw a sniper hold up his gun, his eye trained in his scope. "NO!"

At that moment, someone bashed the back of her head while a loud explosion came from the Blue. In the morning, pieces of the bike were found beached on the shore as well as a sling.

A/N: Sad. Review.


	47. Chapter 47

Chapter Forty-Seven

Disclaimer: I don't own OP.

A/N: I know that last chapter was sad. To answer a few questions, no, Nifernia and her baby didn't make it. I'm sorry. On a different note, I got to be like Niri for a day and fired my first handgun. Let me just say this, Niri makes it look easy. Enjoy!

When Niri woke up, she was curled up on a cold floor. Sitting up, she rubbed the back of her head, looking around to see that there weren't any windows and the only door was steel, no handle on the inside and a window at the very bottom, big enough for a tray with food on it, at most. She could tell she was naked, stripped bare of every shred of fabric that would have been on her normally. Suddenly, the small window opened, a brown piece of material slipping through before the window closely sharply, making her jump. Grabbing the fabric, she opened it, realizing that it was a very long shirt before slipping it on.

Remember the night before, Niri gasped, her hand to her mouth as her body shook, tears flowing from her eyes, her arm around her belly as she fell to her knees. Before she passed out, she saw the bullet leave the barrel of the rifle, heading straight for the water bike. Nifernia did turn around one last time, her eyes wide with fear as her son screamed as loud as he could. The barrel punctured the gas tank, piercing through to the engine, making a spark and therefore, caused the explosion. Bile rose in Niri's throat, spilling out passed her teeth, lips, fingers before finally hitting the floor. Coughing, she didn't even bother wiping her mouth, cleaning her hand or at least getting up as it spread to beneath her knees.

_She's dead, she's really dead. They both are. Nifernia and the baby._ Visions of the infant boy flashed in her mind. _He died without a name. Born and died without a name, the one thing a person truly has in this world. _Emptiness filled her blue eyes as her hair covered her face. _How could someone so evil do something like that to someone so innocent, not even a day old? _The door opened with an eerie sound, thick and like metal scrapping together.

The warden came through the doorway, an evil grin on his face as he stared at the empty girl. "So, you don't have the will to fight back. Without your cell mate, you have no reason to be upset and attack me. You're useless." Eyes flashed, pupils shrinking almost becoming invisible as eyesight sharpened dramatically. The soiled hand curled into claws, slashing at the air that was once the warden's face. A whip cracked, grabbing Niri's ankle, slamming her to the ground, causing her to fall hard on her back. "Thankfully I read your file. You're like a cornered cat, willing to attack when provoked." He tapped her nose with a finger, quickly drawing it back when she snapped at it, her teeth gnashing together.

"You'll be on a ship to take you far away from here. I'm sure that if you pull any stunts there, they'll hang you without a second glance."

Niri snarled. "If it's that easy to kill me, why haven't you done it yet?"

"We had a bargain, you and I. I kept your cell mate alive, you keep me entertained. Had it not been for that shark, you would have hung last night after your cell mate died." He grinned, pulling on her chin to force her to look at him. "He's not here to save you though."

"Then kill me."

"And be demoted? I think not, I rather like my position, thank you," Ishka said, releasing her. As Niri sat up and unwound the whip from her leg, he watched with careful eyes. "You, princess, are protected by one of the most feared men in the Marines. That shark has a watchful eye on you."

"He's my father, that's why."

Ishka roared with laughter. "Your father? Your father was Giles Zolaro, best damn sniper we could ever hope for."

Niri rolled her eyes. "I know he's my father, my biological one, but I have many parental figures on the Blue and Siamon Tragto happens to be one of them." She tossed the whip at him, watching the tail. As she stood, she got a sick feeling in her stomach. "You better hope the ship gets here before I open this door one night and snap your neck like I did the last warden." Ishka's eyes went wide, making Niri grin smugly. "Yes, it was me. Do you know how easy it is to pick a lock, to climb a wall with stones large enough to climb and sneak past some snails? I was proven innocent all because I had my ribs broken and apparently, you can't have broken ribs and work like a thief at the same time. Pity, I was so hoping they would charge me with murder again. Then I'd actually be guilty of a crime I truly committed."

The warden growled. As he turned heel to storm off, Niri let out a laugh from deep in her throat. "What's the matter? Upset that a little girl could kill you?"

"You are an adult, Niri Zolaro. Within half a year you will be nineteen and by anyone's standards, that is not a little girl. One of these days, you will have a rope around that pretty little neck. 'A quick drop…'"

"'And a sudden stop.' I know the saying and I feared it once before."

"Feared it?"

Niri closed her eyes, remembering Axe's letter. "When I was still a cadet in the academy, I realized that I would face death should I try and save a pirate from their death sentence."

Ishka turned around, staring Niri dumbly. "You're friends with a pirate?"

Again, Niri laughed. "You don't know the half of it," she cackled, laughter taking over as the warden left the cell. Laughter could still be heard even after the warden left, the prisoner in the cell finding it all too funny.

-.-.-

For three days, Niri sat in the darkness of the cell, the only light was from the window at the bottom of her door. In the darkness, Niri's mind expanded, the silence of the walls so loud in her ears she thought it would go on forever but every sound that echoed through from the window or her body twisting or bending made the walls so much closer to her, scaring her back into reality every time.

By the end of the fourth day, Niri was ready to snap, her ear pressed firmly against the door, trying to ignore the stink from the bucket in the corner and the stain in the middle of her cell. Very faint tapping was heard, muffled from the heavy steel door. Rolling her eyes to look up at the dark ceiling, the back of her mind wondering how far it was from her head, Niri listened harder, trying to figure out what the noise was.

As the noise drew closer, her eyes snapped forward, determining that it was footsteps, many of them, three people if she had to guess. Drawing away from the door, she curled herself in fetal position, in the corner opposite from the bucket. There was a sound of a deadbolt unlocking, then of a turn lock then finally a key before the door scrapped open, shadows stood in a bright doorway.

Squinting, she could see the warden as well as a guard, one she heard Ishka call Chi Fu, then two other men. She narrowed her eyes as she realized that her guess was off. One of the men had broad shoulders, a thick chest, small waist and thin legs. Niri wanted to roll her eyes at the stereotype. Though she couldn't see his face, she was sure he had a bean-up-the-nose look, just like the cadet had when he was ordered to give her the tour of the academy.

The other was smaller, a thinner frame, some muscle mass but the way he held himself determined that he was built for speed. A boyish charm hung around him like bad air. "This is her?" his young voice asked.

"Fish daughter herself," Ishka said in an oily voice, smiling wide without teeth. "Chi Fu."

The guard strode over to Niri, grabbing her arm as he pulled her up. "State your name, prisoner."

"Bite me."

As the guard raised his hand to backhand her, the burly man raised his own, stopping Chi Fu. "Girl," he started, his voice very deep and thick, almost rick like fine velvet. "Would it be better if you were treated like an officer again?"

Smirking, she shrugged. "Doesn't matter to me. I hardly remember my ID number so excuse me if I somehow give you Prelude's instead. I'm sure the troll won't mind." Standing straight, she squared her shoulders, her chest sticking out further as her back straightened. With her feet together and head held high, eyes facing front, she saluted sharply with her right hand, the index finger at the end of her eyebrow as the tip of her middle felt the brow itself. "Private Niri Zolaro, former Marine marksman, ID number somewhat forgotten, sir!" she barked out.

The man smiled, nodding approvingly. "State the reason why you are in this prison, private."

Lowering her hand, Niri never broke stance as she kept her eyes trained ahead of her. "With all the due respect, sir, you should have read my file, since no one believes me…sir."

"State the reason."

Taking a deep breath, Niri lowered her head. "I was framed for murdering my commanding officer, Commander "Bloodshed" Baron. My gun, my father's gun, was found in the scene of the murder as well as my unconscious body." The smaller of the two shook his head, not really saying anything as he listened.

"Well, you were sent here, correct?"

Niri nodded. "Obviously…sir," she answered, her head high again, her eyes forward. Without warning, a hand jot out and swatted the back of her head hard. Taking a few steps due to the blow, Niri glared back at Chi Fu, her hand into claws. "Hit me again, I dare you."

The guard smirked, raising his hand again. "That's enough!" Both the guard and Niri turned, looking at the slight man. "You are not to lay a hand on her."

The big bear of a man looked at his younger companion. "But sir-"

"Sir?" Niri looked at the man. He couldn't be a superior officer. He was too young, younger than her.

"Cuff her. We'll drop her off at the island. The ship is scheduled to go that way soon."

Niri growled and crouched, her eyes sharp as she glared at the young man. "Are you shipping me away to some island? Is that all I am, a prison accessory? Whoever has me wins some grand prize? I'm not some sort of flavor of the month you know!"

"As friends with pirates, you are a prisoner. As a murderess, you're a prisoner. As you helped someone escape from prison, you're a prisoner," Ishka whispered in her ear, his hot breath circling the shell.

Niri growled, her lip curling. "As a prisoner I will kick your ass."

"Enough!" the burly man yelled. "Sir, I do believe it is time to go," he said, pulling out a silver pocket watch. Niri's eyes flashed. "It's nearly that time."

"Very well. Warden, gather up those we have agreed upon. We will get the ferry ready."

Niri looked back at the younger man. "Ferry? YOU ARE NOT SHIPPING ME TO ANOTHER PRISON!" Growling, her eyes hooded dangerously. "You will not separate me from them!"

"Them?" Both of the new men looked at the warden. "What is she talking about?"

Snarling, Niri curled her fists, eyes shined with angry tears. "I had a cell mate who was pregnant! Pregnant with a boy! I helped birth that child! They killed the two of them both!"

The warden shifted uneasily, his eyes going from everyone in the room. "An infant cannot serve his mother's time. The mother cannot serve time while caring for an infant. We set them free. They had a water bike and plenty to eat."

"LAIR!" Niri flung herself at the warden, her nails clawing at his face, her punches landing hard on his back and shoulders. "LIAR! I HATE YOU!" The guard and the burly man pulled Niri off, both surprised by the strength she possessed. What really surprised the two of them was the look in her eyes. Like a demon possessed her. "I should have killed you like I killed the other one!"

Her hands were pulled behind her back, sounds of clicking echoing in her ears. They were cuffing her, binding her so she wouldn't attack the warden again. "Come on, girl!" the big bear of a man said, pulling at her shoulder.

Her eyes began to hurt and burn when lead outside of the cell, the sunlight painful to her. As she was pushed on, Niri's fists clenched harder, her palms bleeding. With every step, blood dripped onto the floor behind her. Behind her, walking stiffly were the two men from outside the prison. They were murmuring amongst themselves about population control amongst the prisons, how some were overcrowded.

Sighing, she lowered her head, knowing that there would be two people they wouldn't have to worry about anymore. With a hand against her shoulder blades, it pushed her forward, making her turn a corner; they led her away to somewhere unknown for now. Growling, Niri looked back at the two of them.

"Keep your eyes forward, prisoner," the bigger man said. "We'll be out of her soon."

Grinning, Niri just shook her head. "Just to replace one cage with another. Sounds like so much fun to me." Turning her head back, she snorted. "Like an animal. It's sickening."

"Shut up or I'll brand your skin."

They passed through a double set of doors, watching as a line of new prisoners waiting to be processed and sent to their cells. She shuddered, remembering the showers and her nakedness. If it wasn't for Sadie and the other girls at the academy, Niri's modesty and virginity would have made her ashamed to be seen. Thankfully, one of the two was still intact and would be as long as she had a say so.

Out in the sunlight, out of the bars and cells, Niri saw the outside world for the first time in nearly three years. The world was too green for someone used to seeing grey. Trees were brown, leaves and grass green, flowers all different colors and the winds whispered something to her, a change in the air, something that settled in her bones. Smiling, her instinct told her it was starting to change seasons on this island. Another shudder ran through her. That was never a good sign for her, it meant cold, ice, snow, freezing noses, toes and fingers.

Being shoved to the docks, she saw that there were others bound and waiting to board the ferry. Civilians, men, women, and child alike, boarded the ferry, all with smiles and talk of promise of a new home. Rolling her eyes, Niri watched one child look at her. He smiled widely, waving his chubby hand, green eyes closing before his father moved him along.

Someone shoved into her shoulder, catching her eye. "Where do you think we're going?"

She shrugged her shoulders. "Who knows, who cares. It's just another place we are trapped in."

"I hear that we're going to a large prison, so large that there are trees in the yard."

Niri threw her head back, laughing loudly. "Trees? As if there would be any. Where did you get your information from? Someone from that prison? If that were so, why aren't they there now?"

The prisoner just gave her a funny look before training their eyes forward. "A girl like you wouldn't understand hope."

She snorted and shook her head. People imagining some sort of paradise behind the bars. What a laugh. Without warning, they were all pushed forward, moving to the ferry. As they boarded, Niri heard the voices of the civilians beginning to fade and others beginning to stir just beneath the wood of the deck. There were other prisoners?

Being led to a flight of stairs, the cuffs were removed as they were shoved into a giant room, possibly right beneath the different quarters.

"What? More prisoners? Didn't we just REACH a prison? At least put some of us in there as replacement!" Someone shouted.

"Great, humans."

"As always, no devil fruit users."

"We need more food!"

Someone grabbed her wrist, pulling Niri into the crowd. Freaking out slightly, Niri struggled against the hold, trying to hold herself steady but instead, her feet received splinters. Having enough, Niri curled her other hand into claws and dug them in the hand they held her. Someone cried out in pain and released their hold on her. Backing away, Niri's back hit a wall. Sliding down the wall, she kept her eyes on the crowd of people.

A flash of silver caught her eye, making her look in the general direction. What shocked her was that the silver was something she hasn't seen in a long time. "Mermen."

From what she could see, there were five of them, each ranging in sizes, species and ages. One of them though, a shark if she saw right, with blue skin, made the hairs on the back of her neck stand up, warning her of danger as she saw a wound on his right arm. Her eyes narrowed slightly, trying to figure out where she's seen it before. Something was very familiar about that scar. She then saw that there were more scars covering his arms, some mingling with tattoos or showing off the scars. Her eyebrow rose when she saw that they were wearing civilian clothes. This one wearing filthy and torn jeans, stonewashed, much like her brother's jeans was. His shirt was ragged and stained, showing off the scar prominently. His eyes rose to meet her own, being shrouded from his shaggy black hair, his purple eyes scaring her slightly.

There was a tall merman, his skin the one that caught her eye, a pretty silvery white. From the barbell piecing on his lower jaw, she could tell he didn't care for pain too much. He was probably the tallest in the group but with them kind of hanging out on and around barrels, it was hard to tell. With his short hair, she was reminded of her of Siamon but his golden eyes deterred her from the happy memory. From his tattered pants and vest only, she could tell he was a fighter. The only thing that messed with her head was his fingerless glove on the left hand.

He whispered something to the only girl in the group. She was young, possibly Niri's age. With tight clothes and a grey top, she knew that this girl was all about speed. Something was shadowed on her neck but when she turned her head to whisper something back, the shadowed marking was revealed. Tribal markings. Niri's jaw dropped, her eyes fascinated by the beautiful markings plastered all over the girl's skin. Her fingers twitched, suddenly wanting to follow the markings with a finger, to figure out what they were, why they were there.

The other two had their eyes closed, probably feigning sleep. One was dark in color, his top jaw protruding far past the lower one and only wore pants, very loose and being held up by a rope tied around his hips, muscle shown openly. The other was lighter than the first. A red mohawk made him stand out in the group of mer. He was a warrior of some sort, his leather armor carefully etched with designs.

Someone sat next to her, startling her out of the staring. "You know, it's very rude to stare," a soft voice said, almost sounding old and rough. Turning her head, Niri nearly screamed from what she saw. Reptilian eyes looked at her, slightly shaking. Wrinkles around the eyes looked natural on the green skin. "And you're staring again."

"I'm sorry," Niri said quickly, looking at the one who sat next to her. "You're…you're…you're a turtle."

"Tortoise." The shelled man smiled softly, a tired look on his face. He was covered in tribal markings, from his scalp, down his long neck and scaled arms. Some faint scars deterred some of the markings on his arms, mingling with the wrinkles of his elbows and wrists. A jade green sash was around his waist, old and tattered, frayed at the ends, swirls of emerald threads covering the sash. Green leggings on his calves were made of leather, or a material like that, etched in something a child would create.

His shell had interesting markings carved, almost like intricate knots intertwined together, neither a starting nor a finishing end. What surprised her was some extra bit in his shell. "Bullets…"

"And a few spear heads, maybe an arrow head or two. I can't really tell, most are dead middle on my back. Foolish humans."

Niri blinked. "Wait, wait, wait, humans? Are you telling me you aren't a Zoan?"

"A Zoan? Dear child, no. I'm a mer."

Shaking her head, the sniper held up a finger. "A reptile is not a fish. You can't be a mer."

The tortoise smiled slowly. "True but I am categorized as such. I've lived for a very long time, since before the mer were around. When I met the saw tooth, we were stuck together and even though it's common sense that a reptile isn't a fish, I'm still categorized as a mer."

Niri shook her head. "Hold on. Saw tooth? Do you mean the first merman? The one Bite of the Shark was made of?"

"Is that old thing still around?" Sad green eyes softened. "I remember holding that skull, breaking it off and creating the dirk." Holding up a hand, swirled marking on the palm. "I held his skull, my friend." As he lowered his hand, he sighed, his body shaking. "Those fish over there remind me of him."

"None of them are saw tooth. They're a mismatched group. One of them is a mammal for crying out loud."

"Yes, the girl," he said softly. "I would stay away from them if I was you. That group is blood thirsty and human blood is just as good as any other breeds."

Niri looked back at the ragtag group, all of them now looking at her. She shivered from the hatred oozing over to her. _Why do I get the feeling they are going to bug me if we're at the same prison?_

A/N: Alright! There you go, a very long chapter. This is dedicated to Deathshark, I OWE YOU BIG TIME, HUN! Please review!


	48. Chapter 48

Chapter Forty-Eight

Disclaimer: I don't own OP.

A/N: A year since I first started this…wow. ALRIGHT! Reasons on why the slow update: got Left 4 Dead 2, got a job, today is turkey day, and my friend has been hanging out at my place to avoid her parents and the boyfriend. That's why I haven't been doing hardly ANYTHING online. Seriously. You can check all the forums I'm on, last log in date for one was…a week ago, I think... Anyways, here's the newest one. ENJOY!

The ship stopped every fourteen hours, from island to island, picking up and dropping of civilian passengers. The prisoners inside the cargo bay mostly kept to themselves, many only murmuring to those around them, keeping their voices low so not to draw attention to themselves. Niri's eyes scanned everyone inside the bay, keeping in mind the group of mer in the corner, the ones with cold eyes. The reptile mer had also kept to himself, which was beginning to upset Niri. If she was to be given the evil eye from the group of mer, she wanted someone to complain to about it.

Finally, on the shores of an island, someone opened up the cargo bay, without putting anyone in first. "Alright, when you're name is called out, you're to leave the storage and get off the ship to be registered into the prison."

Niri looked over at the reptile by her side. "Where do you think we are?"

"Somewhere with high walls and bars."

She gave a small smile. To think, she'd just have to endure this the rest of her life. As her name was called, she stood, her legs yelling at her about the blood that was now running smoother now that they were stretched out. Walking up the stairs, her feet getting splinters from the fraying wood, her eyes were temporarily blinded.

With her arms above herself, trying to block out the sun, her vision slowly returned. From what she could see from the white haze were signs and signs of gambling advertisements. They were on a gambling island? Great! Not only will she be here in hell but the island is her own personal hell! Being an excellent card player, taught by her aunt and mother, she knew how to get away with a lot of things and she did have a slight addiction to card games. Gambling was just a very tiny problem with her.

Sighing, Niri left the ship only to stand in a line with nearly half of the prisoners, all waiting for entrance into the prison. At least they wouldn't be processed, would they? The thought of being naked and in the same room with both men and women sent a chill up her spine. Sure, she went through it with Gray Waters, but she hoped and prayed it wasn't like that here.

Remembering that she was filthy from her three day stay in solitary confinement, she grimaced. Hopefully they wouldn't scrub her skin bright red again. With her hands being cuffed in front of her, she was shoved forward, her feet feeling the dirt beneath her as she walked. She could hear other being behind her, all of them complaining. Sighing, she stretched her arms out in front of her before raising them above her head. A man behind her chuckled, leaning over, whispering foul things in her ear.

Red in the face from hearing such talk, Niri headbutted him, breaking his nose. The man was pulled away from the group and Niri felt another behind her. Turning her head, she caught the eye of the dolphin mer, the only female from the group on the ship. Lowering her eyes quickly, Niri turned her head away. In this situation, it was best if she didn't do anything to agitate them, to just ignore them and maybe they would go away.

Rubbing the faint scar on her wrist, her own teeth marks, she closed her eyes, remembering the pregnant woman that was her friend. It seemed suddenly but girl was suddenly pushed into Niri as she collapsed to the ground, a shark on her, his nails making her bleed. Any blood around a shark sends them into a feeding frenzy. The guards must have realized that because they came running to the dolphin's aid, only to be driven back when nearly bitten into by the shark on her.

As the blue shark growled out, an evil grin on his face, his sharp teeth snapping close to dolphin. This wasn't right in Niri's mind. Mer weren't supposed to attack other mer unless provoked or ordered to. This girl did nothing of the sort and here she was on the ground, screaming for help. Looking over at the rest of the mer the two were with, they were all being held back.

The shark laughed, sending chills up and down Niri's spine. Grim laughed just like that. The shark's face was replaced with Grim's, sending Niri into a rage. With a cry she tackled the shark off of the girl, stepping over her. Had she had her gun on her, Niri would have shot him several times in the chest. The guards took advantage of this and pinned the shark down, pushing Niri deeper in line where two hands caught her. "Stop this, child, you don't want to mess with them."

As the guards began to tie up the shark with ropes, chains, anything they could get their hands on, the shark laughed at them. As the crowd of prisoners crowded around the scene, witnessing all that was happening, a whistle blew sharply, making Niri flinch as the shrill sound hurt her ears. That was odd. As she recovered, she snapped her fingers next to her ears, hearing them go momentarily deaf. When did her hearing become hyper sensitive?

Looking to what had made the noise, her eyes grew wide. A very stern man with a silly looking moustache walked with a goosestep, his legs kicking out in front of him in a very stiff way. Going up to the now bound shark, he glared down at the grinning shark. "You!" he started, his accent very different to what Niri was used to listening to. "You, Kira, have openly attacked a fellow inmate. You have zero regard to rules, you are very disobedient and must have a death wish. Anything you would like to say?"

Kira, if that was his true name, just looked up. "If I do have a death wish, you can't fulfill it. No one can. Not you humans, not any fruit eaters, not even my own race." He licked his lips, looking at a horrible scar on his arm. "One couldn't kill me even though I had his brother incapacitated, ready to die. The stupid one, he couldn't kill me, shot me pretty good but with that bad hand and one eye, he's a terrible shot."

When hearing these words, Niri saw red. Flailing and thrashing hard, giving the mer a hard time holding her, she glared at the grinning shark. This man had one of her brothers incapped and insulted the other one! The man, Kira, turned and grinned wider at Niri, his eyes going dark. Swearing on her father's grave to make him pay for what he's done, Niri spat at him.

Paps, the repltilian mer she dubbed, held her firmly, using all his strength to keep her on the spot. "Settle down. The more you want to go and attack him, the more he'll just upset you some more and then he'll get you so riled up that he'll exploit your weakness and attack them head on," he whispered.

The warden sniffed loudly, his nose wrinkling. "You must have a death wish. Should you ever openly attack another inmate, you will be shot on site." Turning to the guards holding the binds, he lifted his head up, his eyes trained on the shark. "Escort him to the holding cell. He'll have to be dealt with in a different manner. He might get transferred to Impel Down if this keeps up."

The shark was taken away, the girl to the infirmary and as Niri was shoved back in line, processed and set in a new cell, all she could think about was the blood that would be on her hands as he nails dig themselves into the shark's neck, about his dying scream in her ears and the light that would fade from his eyes.

A/N: Short but you try updating with a job, Christmas coming up and everything else. NOT A GOOD IDEA! Review please, I kinda need them to lift my spirits.


	49. Chapter 49

Chapter Forty-Nine

Disclaimer: I don't own OP.

A/N: Sorry, dealt with holidays, then my job, then best friend loss, then another job and dA. That's right, I'm on dA. Link will be on profile. Will include Niri art, I'm just a bit slow due to getting use to tablet…yeah. Tell me what you want drawn and I'll do it. ANYWAYS ENJOY!

One man cell, no toilet, no sink, just a cot. This place was worse than the last prison. Still, with boredom setting in already, she sat down on the stiff mattress, hearing the chains that held it up creak with old age. Great, she's bored silly, has nothing in her cell, a bed that's ready to collapse and worst of all, the chains are rusting. Just great. The only plus side was that she was on the second floor, her cell facing the large gap that over-saw the first floor. No perverts unless the guards try to get fresh with her. She just rolled her eyes and went on with staring at the bricks that was her wall.

Still, she used what she could to her advantage. Pulling her legs up to sit on them, she lunged herself off of the cot, her toes pointed as the mattress dug in above her knee. Adjusting her hands, she lowered herself to the floor before pushing herself up again. Pushups were easy, the only problem was, she wanted to balance on her hands and do them but something felt off to her, like her body was off center. She grunted as she shoved herself off the ground several more times, legs complaining from the awkward situation she put them in, her upper arms screaming from the lactic acid now burning in them, abdomen sore but it was her back that was the worst. Because of the small of her back having to dip itself to compensate for her body growing in certain areas, it felt weaker than normal.

Sweat dripped from her face as she ignored the pain and continued to push herself. Had she been back at the academy, she could go so long before the drill sergeant called it quits. She slacked off a lot after leaving the academy but being in a prison where you have to fight to survive, she worked more on speed. Still, she was a small human girl, light weight, easily broken, easily torn. She wasn't the fastest or the strongest but she tries.

Walking with her hands, her knees touched the ground as her body slid down from the cot. Taking a deep breath, she held it as she lifted her hips off of the ground, her toes just barely hovering the floor. Shifting her hips, she raised them higher until her toes were high above her. Her arms shook as she tried to readjust her body weight. What was off? Closing her eyes, she parted her legs, letting their weight pull them to the ground. Something was way off; she could barely get her legs to return to their original position.

There was a loud slamming noise, causing her to fall, rolling onto her back, banging an ankle against the wall. Pain shot up her calf and thigh, making her hiss in pain as she sat up, putting a hand to the hurt appendage. It wasn't broken; she could tell that much, but a nasty bruise already started to form where she hit the wall. Sighing, she stood up, ignoring the pain, going to the bars and looking out to see what had happened. From what she could see on the first floor, three shadows were following a guard, their boots stomping on the ground beneath them loudly.

The guard reminded her of the tour guide at the academy, the familiar bean-up-the-nose look on his face. Though the familiarity was somewhat comforting, that feeling was wiped away when the flash of blue caught her eye. Narrowing her blue eyes, she put her hands to the bars, tightening her grip as the rust bit at her skin. That shark not only attacked one of his friends, if they were to be called friends, but he also threatened and nearly succeeded in killing her adopted brothers.

Glaring down at the blue, Niri snorted before banging a fist against the bars and walked to the back wall, throwing her back to it and sliding down, her shirt riding up in the back, pushing the coldness from the wall into her skin as her belly was revealed. Not caring, she pulled her knees close before setting her chin on them, closing her eyes, trying to drown out the prison's noises.

-.-.-

If life could get any worse, Niri felt like it did several times over. There were showers that were shared, much like the ones in the academy but unlike those, these were guarded by the prison guards with shot guns, none of them female. Niri narrowed her eyes. She was fine being in the nude around women, after all, they all have the same things but to be nude in front of a man, she felt embarrassed and weak. Still, if she didn't take a shower any time soon, her hair would fall out in disgusting clumps from being without washed for so long and the stench of her was putrid and was beginning to affect her skin, becoming a hazard to her health.

She didn't like it one bit but pulling off her shirt, she kept her back to the guards. Humiliating, disgusting, perverted and disgraceful and yet, prisoners were not given luxuries, they were in prison for a reason and had to be punished, even if this was the way. One of the guards chuckled and made a rude comment, making a heavy embarrassed blush color Niri's cheeks. These men, they were getting the pleasure of looking at them! She felt horrible but thankful at the same time that she was only given a giant shirt to wear, but the horrible part was she was that sooner nude and exposed. Her father would be rolling around in his grave if he knew of this.

Her ears perked as she heard the giggles of the other female prisoners, many as young as she was, many far more gorgeous with fuller breasts and wider hips, others with a look of innocence but they way that they moved proved to be far from that purity they look like. Wrapping her arms around her own breasts, Niri felt the water pour from a faucet, onto the top of her head and run down her back, the chilled water sending her into shivers as goose bumps rose.

"Hun, I need a razor for my legs, or would you rather do it for me?" she heard one of the girls purr out seductively. How can they just go ahead and be completely exposed and still have that confidence inside of them to shamelessly flirt with the guards? More and more comments like the one she heard began to bubble in the tiled room, then soon, the loud noises of very sloppy kisses were heard, making Niri's empty stomach ready to purge itself. Disgusted, she barely moved her hands away from her body to scrub herself clean. Why weren't they given tubs or maybe stalls but instead, they were in a wide open room, revealing their flesh to the glittering eyes of men in lust.

One of the women, Niri saw from the corner of her eye, returned from wherever the guards were with a cigarette in her mouth, the smoke drifting gracefully from the hot cherry of ash as paper and tobacco burned. The woman had to have been maybe ten or so years older than herself, must curvier than Niri and yet, she had something that was forbidden in the prison, possession.

The woman's eyes turned to Niri. "What?" Her voice like cream echoed out in the shower, drowned out from the other's ears from the noises of the guards and female inmates. "What are you looking at girl?"

"Your cigarette…"

"You want one?"

This snapped Niri out of whatever trance she was in. "What? No, I don't smoke." Though maybe a few times the thought rose up, so did the face of her brother, the fat cigar chewed up in his teeth. Shaking her head, she looked at the woman's eyes. "You're not supposed to have any type of possession on prison grounds."

"Yeah so?" At this point, the other had taken the smoking object from her mouth and held it in between two fingers as she turned her back to a faucet, water flowing in her long golden hair. "What's your point?"

"How did you get that?"

The woman laughed. "Are you a virgin?" Niri didn't answer, a blush on her cheeks told all. "Thought so. You see, we women are very seductive creatures. You look at a man as your prey, whether it be for money, objects, sex, whatever, then you go ahead and use what your momma gave you to your advantage and voila, whatever you wanted is now yours. For me, it was a smoke. In about a few hours, I'll flirt with another guard and get a few more to last the night."

This shocked Niri. True, she didn't live a sheltered life but at the same time, she's never come across a woman such as the one she was currently talking to. "You whore yourself out to feed your addiction?" This made the woman look at her funny. "You aren't getting what you want, you're giving them what they want because they know that you'll be easy for them to get, to snag in their trap and feed their own addiction. The promise of whatever object you desire is their bait and you just take it like a fish."

The woman blinked a few times before throwing her head back and roared with laughter, making some of the others look at the two of them. "A virgin telling me what to do, oh that's rich!" She looked Niri dead in the eye and with a cheshire grin, spoke in a smooth voice. "Listen well, little sister, until you've had a man in between your thighs and realize how weak they are, you'll continue to think like this. Hell, I'll even ask a guard to screw you so your train of thought changes."

"She's a virgin? Wow, they still make those?"

"She's never felt a man?"

"Seen a man?"

"Touched a man?"

These words made Niri's face rival that of a tomato. "Listen, Cherry, learn how to handle a man before you come preaching to me about what to do and what not to do, okay? I have neither time nor patience to have some Pure-As-Snow girl yapping away. You disapprove, fine, but shut your cute little mouth up or learn to have a piece of meat in it."

At this point, Niri quit listening, her eyes trained on her skin as she scratched herself, dirt and old skin embedding themselves under her nails in a gray like clay before she flicked them away. Her mind however, began to think about what they had said. It's true that she was a virgin and that she hadn't willingly let a man touch her but she'd never give a guy what he wanted from her flesh. Her fingers dug into her skin as she thought about it. There probably wouldn't ever be a guy in the world she would get close to to become physical with. Lowering her eyes, she suddenly began to think that maybe she'd be forever alone for the rest of her life.

Chris had her first kiss, something they shared next to the mast of one of the ships she was being transferred on in between locations but he seemed to be the only one she allowed. The former cabin-boy and Bret, the crazy demolition, they had invaded her personal space but the cabin-boy had redeemed himself as somewhat as a friend but Bret, that boy would be forever enemy, like that woman.

Axe. She lifted her head up, watching the steam rise to the ceiling. Would Axe count? Thinking back to when they were around each other, it was more like a sibling love. Closing her eyes, she sighed and lowered her head, the water falling down in front of her, dripping off of her eyebrows, some dewing on her eyelashes while the others ran down her face, like false tears. Water pooled on her skin where her flesh met but her eyes didn't see what her ears heard.

Without warning, a cold hand touched her lower back, making her jump and squeak loudly. Turning, she held her arms out beside her, in a defensive manner as she legs spread to be shoulder length apart, as if ready to fight. One of the women who had teased her smiled, a cloth in her hand. "You seemed like you needed some help." Something reminded Niri of a mother, making her head drop and nod. "Turn around before you show these guys your goods."

Niri blushed and looked away, turning to have her back to the woman. She heard the other laugh before the cloth met her back, a hand moving her long hair out of the way. Wait, long hair? Niri quickly gathered her hair before looking at the end. It went to her navel…when did that happen? Closing her eyes, she felt the cloth run along her back as suds traveled down her spine, falling down her legs before splashing with the water at her feet.

"You know, you should stay out of their way. Since they're willing to do whatever with the guards, I suggest you protect yourself." Grinning, Niri put her hands together, letting water pool in them before bringing them to her lips. The water was warm but it felt great to have something wash down her throat. "You are too pretty to get hurt."

Niri let her hands fall back to her hair, her eyes narrowing in thought. "I've been hurt already; a little rough housing won't hurt me. Besides, I've already got someone else in mind to kill." Her eyes flashed dangerously and she curled a hand against her stomach, her nails leaving angry welts in their wake. "If they want to try something, bring it. I'll be waiting for them."

"Careful girl, with talk like that, you could get a dark heart and with the way that you are right now, I don't think that would be within your best interest. Tell you what, you leave those women to me and in return, you help me out of here."

Out of prison? That idea was always buzzing inside of the minds of prisoners all over the Blue and now, it seemed to be in this woman's mind. "I won't be escaping."

"Not escaping? But wouldn't you like to see the world, feel freedom all around you and know that when you wake up, it'll be on your own time and not when someone calls you awake."

Niri rolled her eyes, moving away from the woman, ringing out her hair. "Yeah and you'll have the Marines forever on your back, a bounty on your head and people willing to betray you at the chance of getting that money." Gathering shampoo in her hair, she felt the suds build from her fingers and slowly make their way down her nude body, making her skin slick. Heading under the faucet again, she began to rinse her hair, several strands falling into the drain from lack of washing. The woman seemed to get the idea that Niri didn't want her around and moved away.

Niri could feel a coldness creep behind her ears, the sense of something tugging at her back, the feeling of being watched and something drawing near becoming very apparent. Turning her head, she saw several of the guards staring at her, the woman near them, whispering something to them. Narrowing her eyes, Niri focused on the woman's lips, only catching a few words that she was saying. Reading lips was a requirement in the Academy, especially for snipers considering that they had to read the target's and the bait's lips before striking. This woman was spilling that Niri was untouched, making the former Marine's lip curl into a snarl. This woman was asking to die.

Running her fingers through her hair, Niri went to the towels, quickly grabbing one and wrapped it around herself before grabbing another and began to towel dry her hair. If the guards want to try anything, they should quickly know that she has claws, the ability to sneak out of her cell and kill them in her sleep. She smirked as the towel covered her face, her hands busy with the cloth. "Let's see how much trouble I get in this time, shall we?"

-.-.-

Doors opened with a clang, the sound resonating throughout the air, alerting everyone that it was time to hit the yard. It made no sense to Niri about this new schedule. Every other day they were allowed into the yard, every other evening a shower, but other than that, they weren't allowed out of the cells, not even for meals. Snorting, she got up from her cot, going to her newly opened cell door and followed the crowd. Guards were posted at every corner, even on the stairs, watching the inmates carefully for any type of disturbance. Once or twice, Niri had felt people brush against her, but what happened next seriously ticked her off.

Someone had not only brushed against her, but someone had also groped her butt. Red in the face, she had stopped where she was and with the turn of her hip to face behind her, she had punched a random person, her elbow knocking another across the jaw all the while, her foot making a step to help her body turn, stepping on another's foot. Within seconds, a fight had erupted, the guards bashing and pulling inmates away from each other. Niri felt people punching, kicking, bruising her. Pulling her arms near her face, she braced herself for more attacks. The breath had been knocked out of her though with a punch to her gut, forcing the girl to double over, her eyes wide in pain as her lungs screamed for air.

_THU-THUMP THU-THUMP THU-THUMP_

Her heart began to pound in her ears, her vision going red before curling her fingers into claws and slashing at everyone who was near. Something that felt like the back of a shotgun bashed against the back of her head, knocking out the wild inmate.

A/N: FINALLY done with this chapter. I cannot tell you how long it has been plaguing my head. FOR THE PERSON HOLDING MY DRAGON PLUSHIE HOSTAGE, GIVE IT BACK! I'VE UPDATED, NOW I WANT IT BACK.


End file.
